Stoked Fo' Shizzle!
by bauerfreak
Summary: AU: Sequel to Diff'rent Strokes. Takes place three years later. What is in store for the troubled, but loving family? Story five in the Mally Universe. On hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Tee hee – back by popular request (and I love the Nick/Mally universe too, btw) the sequel to Diff'rent Strokes! This picks up three years after DSFDS. And thanks so much for the amazing bunch of reviews for the final chapter – 21 is the most reviews ever for a chapter story. You made my Sunday (and Monday!). Thanks to everyone who made suggestions and offered encouragement – you rock! This first chapter is dedicated to you…enjoy (and PLEASE review – wink wink, nudge, nudge, say no more)

It was a melting pot of sounds that would've driven any other man insane, but to Nick Stokes, it was music to his ears. After pulling into the driveway of his suburban Las Vegas home, the tired but genuinely happy CSI walked up the steps to the front door. From outside, he could hear the distinct sounds of Nelly Furtado's "Loose" blaring from his twenty-year-old (soon to reach the big 2-1) daughter's bedroom. She'd just returned home for Spring Break of her junior year of college. Nick, Sara, and the kids were thrilled to see her and Mally loved to see them too, but college life was different from home sweet home. She blasted her music a little too loud these days, sometimes to drown out the sounds of the young ones in the house.

As he opened the front door, his seven year old son, Aidan was pummeling his best friend Jake on the living room floor, apparently fighting over the video game that was up the loudest it could go on the television. The racing car on the screen was at a standstill as the computer's cars raced past. Nick piped for them to cool it and turn the sound down, and the boys immediately obeyed.

He walked into the kitchen to find his oasis at this point in his life. His wife, Sara, was patiently helping a two year old Mari plop some chocolate chip cookie dough onto the baking tray. The little girl's lip was stuck out to the side in pure concentration, and she didn't even notice her daddy watching her. Sara looked up and smiled as the blob fell to the tray. Just to their left was a somber looking Bailey, in a world of her own, playing her handheld Game Boy Advance.

When Nick plopped his keys on the counter, Mari's eyes lit up to see her beloved daddy. She practically dropped the spoon she was holding, and Sara rushed to grab it before it fell on the chair cushion. The two year old was covered in cookie dough, but Nick didn't mind one bit as she crashed into his waiting arms.

"Daddy! I make cookies, lookit!" She reported proudly. Nick kissed her repeatedly all over the face and stood up, her feet dangling at his sides. He glanced over at Sara and Bailey, who still had a sad look on her face. Nick knew Sara would tell him what was up in a second, but he hated to see one of his three little girls upset. As a father, he was always extra protective of his daughters.

"I could smell it from outside! It smells wonderful!" He praised her, now positioning her on his hip. Mari held on to him loosely, her eyes wide and innocent, and so happy in this moment. Nick loved his fourth child insanely, like all the others, and cherished his time with them when they were small. Life was still so new and exciting to her, and getting tickled or having raspberries blown on her tummy never got old.

Mari was planned, but still a surprise. Nick and Sara had decided a few years back to have another child at some point, but wanted to wait until the twins got into kindergarten. But, life happened, and Mari was conceived a few months after their fourth birthday. Bailey and Aidan were five and just starting school when their baby sister arrived, and Mally was nineteen beginning her sophomore year at Western Texas. Nick and Sara were, of course, thrilled with the pregnancy after the initial shock, but everything worked out. They were a little unprepared financially, with three children already, and one in college. But they managed, and they couldn't be a happier family. Well, most of the time.

"Daddy want one?" She asked her father as, pointing her tiny finger as he went to investigate a finished batch by the stove. Though she was really far away, Nick immediately brought her hand back up away from the stove.

"Careful. The stove is hot, baby."

"Hot?" She said curiously.

"Yes, you'd get an ouchy if you touched it."

Mari's face scrunched up in despair at the thought and shook her head, communicating her desire for this not to happen to her precious fingers.

"Ouchy bad." She declared.

"Good girl." Nick kissed her forehead and then pretending to eat her finger, setting her into fits of giggles. Sara smiled and finished putting the cooked batch onto the cooling tray. Their work schedule still panned out well still, with one parent going to work a day, leaving the other at home to care for Mari. With the twins in first grade, it was great to have one of them home always in case and when they arrived back from school.

Nick pulled out the chair at the table and set Mari in his lap. He reached for a nearby toy and handed it to his daughter so he could talk to his wife and older daughter. Mari happily accepted and was entertained, at least momentarily.

"Why the long face, Bailey?" Nick asked his middle daughter. He could guess it had something to do with school. First grade had been a big adjustment for the vivacious, energetic young girl. She just didn't seem to have the patience to sit still for that long, and wasn't that interested in learning. Bailey still did fine in school, but had some discipline problems. They'd had to warn the first grader yesterday that if they got any more calls or e-mails from Miss Lorden, they would have to punish her at home.

Sara waited for her daughter to explain, but she predictably didn't want to.

"Tell your father what happened." She ordered gently. Bailey sighed dramatically, still concentrating on her game. Nick reached over and retrieved it from her hands, shutting the game off. Bailey scowled at her father and crossed her arms, her bottom lip going out slightly, slouching in her chair.

"Bailey, you need to tell me what happened. Remember, being honest with us counts for a lot." Nick encouraged her. They'd found with Bailey that she hated telling the entire truth when she was in trouble. Often, the parents would find out bits at a time, all adding up finally to the complete story. They hated to have to drag things out of her, and encouraged her to come clean with them up front. Nick and Sara even tried to make a point of making her punishment less severe when she told the whole truth up front. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn't.

"I got in trouble at school today." She told him meekly. Mari had since gotten bored and threw the toy on the floor, instead finding glee in playing with Nick's hands, which he tolerated like the trooper father he was. Nick managed to suppress a sigh of disappointment, but was sure his face displayed it.

"What happened, sweetheart?"

"It wasn't my fault –" She tried, but was cut off.

"Bailey, that's not how we begin an explanation." Nick reminded her. "Remember what we talked about before? If you're in trouble at school, you obviously did something the teacher didn't like. We've talked to Miss Lorden before, and she's a very nice, fair lady. We know she wouldn't accuse you of something she didn't know was the truth. Now, you need to start over. Tell me what happened at school today."

"I didn't get my work done in the morning because Brett kept bugging me and I couldn't concentrate, so I got a yellow card."

Nick and Sara knew well that a yellow card meant a missed recess in Miss Lorden's room. Bailey's best friend was another little rascal girl named Brett. Nick guessed Bailey had been bugging her pal also, and it wasn't just on Brett.

"So you stayed in at recess?"

"No. I forgot." She whispered. "Really, daddy, I did! And Miss Lorden came out to the playground and got me."

Sara had been listening intently to her daughter's recap of the story. She'd gotten a call from Miss Lorden that afternoon, and this wasn't the full story.

"And what else happened, Bailey?" Sara prompted her daughter. Bailey got a deer in the headlights look, unaware that her mother knew more. She didn't seem to realize that her parents communicated quite frequently with her teacher, and she would get caught telling little fibs.

"Huh?"

"What happened when you got back to the classroom?" Sara reworded. Both parents waited for her explanation.

"I argued with the teacher. Because I couldn't concentrate to do the work! I told her I had to go to recess, or she wouldn't get any work out of me."

"Bailey Catherine Stokes! I cannot believe your mouth!" Nick exclaimed, looking at his daughter in thought and confusion. "You know better than to speak to your teacher that way! That was rude and disrespectful."

"I know." She stared down at her feet, disappointed in herself. Bailey just couldn't concentrate at school sometimes. Her body got so angry at her when she didn't run around or talk to other people. She couldn't understand it, and it frustrated her. It bothered her that she was always getting in trouble because of it.

"Tomorrow, you will apologize to Miss Lorden for the things you said and your behavior. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You need to go up to your room until dinner's ready." Nick pointed to the stairs. Sara didn't say anything. She hadn't let her daughter play with her friends after school that day, so the little girl had been stuck indoors playing her Game Boy and going stir crazy. Bailey had so much energy it was almost too much. And now with so many behavior problems in school, they were losing patience. Bailey wasn't a bad kid by any means. She just couldn't seem to sit still and keep quiet.

Though they shared parenting responsibilities, Nick was definitely still the disciplinarian of the two. With Mally, it was just him so he didn't even think about it, and after marrying Sara and having three more children, he'd stayed in the same mode. Sara and Nick still communicated and made decisions as a team (Most of the time, though it was hard for Nick to remember), but it was Nick who normally handed out the punishments and who the kids ultimately answered to. Sara admitted she was a softie, but Nick had no trouble laying down the law.

Bailey stormed up the stairs to her bedroom, but didn't slam the door. She was back in her stupid bedroom – the one she had to share with that two year old bratty attention-stealer. Bailey couldn't stand her little sister right now. She got all the attention, even from her friends. Whenever they came over, they always wanted to play with Mari. They delighted in trying to teach her new words, playing with her stupid toddler toys, and doing her hair. Her parents were head over heals for her, and Bailey just didn't seem to matter anymore. She only got their attention when she misbehaved at school, it seemed. Bailey plopped herself on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, and began to cry.

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Back in the kitchen, Sara was cleaning up the cookie mess in preparation for dinner while she talked with her husband. Mari shimmied off his lap and waddled into the living room.

"Aid, your little sister's coming in there! Keep an eye on her!" Nick yelled into the next room.

"Okay, dad!" Aidan answered. He didn't mind his role as big brother at all. She was a heck of a lot more fun than Bailey the squirmer.

"So, what else did the teacher say?"

"Oh, Nick." Sara fetched some carrots from the fridge and set them on the cutting board. "She wants to meet with us tomorrow. She's really concerned about Bailey. The poor woman's tried everything, and so she wants to talk to some of her colleagues and get back with us."

"Really?" Nick was exasperated. "Bailey's that bad? Come on, Sar, don't you think it might be inexperience?"

Miss Lorden, Bailey's teacher, was fresh out of college and hot, Nick admitted. Bailey adored her and they thought she was a wonderful teacher, but how much could she know after six months of teaching?

"Nick. You know how Bailey can be." Sara started chopping up the vegetable. Nick gave a _that's how it is_ shrug. After staying at home with the little girl and her brother every other day for five years, Nick knew how Bailey could be. Crabby and impatient could describe her. Or hyper and uncooperative. Sometimes disobedient, but overall a nice kid. Nick's heart broke sometimes seeing his daughter struggle. It was like she was stuck in some shell that forced her to make brash, unsound decisions. It was like she couldn't help it, and Nick didn't know what to do.

Aidan walked in the kitchen, sniffing the cookies. His friend had just left, hearing the door close, and Mari was tiptoeing behind her big brother. When her mother saw her, Mari put a lip up to her mouth and grinned mischievously. Aidan reached for a cookie and Sara lightly slapped his hand away.

"Dinner will be soon."

"Just one cookie?" He pleaded, eyeing the delicious treats.

"Nope. You'll…"

"Spoil your dinner." Aidan joined in her common recitation.

"Read my mind!" Sara chimed.

"Boooo!" Mari screamed, grabbing her brother's legs suddenly. Aidan was used to it, but he played a long, making a gasping noise.

"Mommy, was that a ghost?" He worried out loud.

"I don't know. Maybe. Have you seen Mari lately?" Sara played, looking under the table and even behind Aidan, where the little girl was grinning widely. She had big brown eyes and curly dark hair just like her mother and older sister, today swept up in a messy ponytail from all the rambunctious activities of a typical two year old. After about ten seconds, she was giggling in all her toddler cuteness, and Nick laughed in pride.

"I'm right heeeere!" She finally announced.

"Oh, there you are, Mari!" Aidan swooped around and picked her up, kissing her cheek. He was a wonderful big brother, and Mari adored him.

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"I miss you too, fuck wad." Mally cooed to her boyfriend, her language having changed slightly at college. She'd been away from her boyfriend for all of three days now, and she missed him like crazy. Mally had crushes and went on dates in high school, but had never had a serious boyfriend, much to Nick's delight. He'd been going crazy lately at the prospect of his daughter dating a college senior hundreds of miles away, unable to protect her from that overrated species known as college frat boys. Nick and Sara had met the punk once, and though no guy would ever be good enough for Mally, this one especially did not fit the criteria. Having been a frat boy himself, Nick knew how their screwed up, perverted minds worked and he didn't like to think of his daughter in such close proximity to even one. He knew Mally had a good head on her shoulders, but love could do crazy things to a person. That's how Mally had come along in the first place. Nick had become infatuated with her mother, but turned out to only end the steamy relationship after one month. Mally was born nine months later, and he'd never been the same since – he was a better person, and he didn't want some creep messing around with his first baby girl.

"Have you been thinking about me?"

How conceited, Mally thought, but she played along.

"All the time." She told him, half fibbing. Mally did think about him a lot, but she loved being around her family. She thought she heard her father come home over the music she'd been playing, but couldn't be sure. Aidan had turned his game down, so her dad was most likely down there. "Hey, I think dinner's ready, so I'm gonna have to say bye." Mally reported reluctantly, though they'd been talking about basically nothing for almost forty five minutes.

"Alright, sweetness. I'll think of you before I go to sleep. I love you."

"Mmm….bye." Mally quickly hung up. Jason had thrown the three letters out a week or so ago, and Mally hadn't responded, but he didn't seem to get the clue. She didn't love him…not yet. Her parents had taught her the true meaning of love, and that was a feeling she hadn't experienced with Jason. Sure, she felt lust and affection for him, but not love. She didn't say _I love you_ without meaning it.

The almost twenty one year old huffed and rolled her eyes, getting off her bed in what she jokingly referred to as her high school bedroom of her summer home. It was true – she really only lived here in the summer, and on the occasional school break like right now.

Mally walked down the stairs to the sound of her family members in the kitchen. Mari had worked her way onto Aidan's back, who was playing around as her parents talked while her mother made dinner. It was a wonderful sight, and she missed it sometimes at college…sometimes.

Nick sensed his daughter coming and turned in his chair. It was Monday, and the first day he'd gotten to come home to all four of his children in a long time. He smiled widely as she came up behind Nick and wrapped her arms around his torso, snuggling her face against his.

"Good to see you, sweetheart." He patted her hand and turned his head to kiss her. Mally took the seat next to him, and he draped his arm at the back of her chair affectionately, and maybe a little possessively. He didn't get to see Mally every day now, so he truly cherished every moment with her. It killed him to have her gone, though she called often, but thankfully he had Sara, Bailey, Aidan, and Mari to help him through. They all missed her terribly too.

Half an hour later, Mally went upstairs to tell her sister she could come down for dinner. When she opened the door, she found Bailey jumping on her bed. The seven year old immediately stopped.

Mally gave her a curious look and decided to close the door.

"Aren't you a little old to be jumping on the bed?" She questioned her sister, trying to keep the tone light, because she knew Bailey was in trouble. Mally remembered how awful she would feel after being punished, and it wasn't a fun time. She tried to help out her siblings as much as possible. Not covering or making excuses for them, but trying to convince them not to do some of the crazy stuff kids got up to these days.

"I know. I just…feel like it sometimes." Bailey sat on her bed and sat pretzel style as Mally sat next to her. She was glad she had an older sister to get advice from. Basically, an adult, but not a parent – no fear of getting in trouble for asking the wrong questions. Why'd she have to abandon her?

"Why'd you think that is?" Mally asked gently, tucking a piece of her sister's hair behind her ear. She was so jealous of the twins when they were little, but now that they were older and could speak in clear, coherent sentences and carry on a conversation, they were actually pretty cool. And she loved Mari too, of course, with all her babbling sentence fragments. Mally had matured a lot in the last few years.

"I don't know, but mom, dad, and Miss Lorden are pretty mad at me. I think I annoy them a lot. I just can't pay attention."

"Bailey, you could never annoy them." Mally told her sister seriously. She knew what her sister meant, though. Sometimes they didn't understand why she did the things she did, but they still loved her unconditionally. Her parents' and teacher's concern was often confused with hate and resentment for the seven year old. "Sometimes, they may get angry when you misbehave, but they love you. Mom and dad could never stop loving you."

Mally knew this from experience. Though she was a good kid, Mally had gotten in her fair share of trouble over the years, from sneaking out to a party, to piercing her belly button without permission, and taking her friend's notes. Her parents always forgave her, and things were always patched up. They still loved her, no matter what.

"I know."

"And they'll get things worked out with your teacher. They all just want to help you. Maybe they can help you figure out why you can't concentrate."

Bailey offered a weak smile to her older sister, her idol. Mally always seemed to know exactly how to make her feel better. She missed her so much when she was away. Mally pretended to punch her sister in the face, and Bailey giggled. They got up and went downstairs together.

Sara was already serving the plates as the family assembled at the table. The parents were at opposite heads of the table. Mally and Bailey sat to their mother's left, and Mari and Aidan sat on the other side. Little Mari had recently graduated to a booster seat instead of the large, cumbersome high chair, and so she truly felt like a big kid now. She still sat close to her mother so Sara could help feed her.

The room was all abuzz with conversation as the happy family of six enjoyed a Monday night dinner in each other's company. Life seemed to be working out just fine for the Stokes.

A/N: Mari's name is pronounced MAH-ree. Thought you might want to know.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you seem to like Mari, and like her name also. Please enjoy and review!

Aidan Stokes bounced a basketball on the playground of Las Vegas Elementary Tuesday afternoon. None of the other boys really wanted to play today, but Aidan was always up for a game. He would rather just stand on the court dribbling the ball and taking shots than play on the playground. Someone would come along eventually.

The seven year old looked over to where most of the first graders were playing – on the swings and the apparatuses. He spied his sister after just a few seconds, surrounded by several of her girl friends. Aidan knew his twin sister was popular, mainly because she talked all the time, so she was bound to make a few friends. Aidan was also well liked by the other kids, but his sister was the prima girl in first grade. He was thankful they were in different classes this year. Last year in kindergarten, it had become almost unbearable. He would get so sick of Bailey that he couldn't stand to be around her at home. She always just talked, talked, talked, and ran, ran, ran, and got in trouble, trouble, trouble. At least eyes were taken off him and he could get away with a little more.

"You want to shoot?" Came a female adult voice from behind the young boy. Aidan turned to see Miss Lorden, Bailey's teacher. She seemed to be a pretty cool teacher, and more fun than the old, near-retirement lady he had.

Aidan bounced the ball to Miss Lorden, who acted as if she was in deep concentration. After a few dribbles, she shot the ball and made a basket.

"Nice shot, Miss Lorden." He said politely.

"Thank you, Aidan." She bounced the ball to him after retrieving it. Aidan was surprised she knew his name. All the teachers probably talked about who had the most awful kids after school.

Aidan set up his shot and took it, and made the basket also.

"Do you ever play with your sister at recess?"

Aidan sighed. People seemed to think that since they were twins, they must do everything together. But it seemed Bailey and Aidan couldn't be more opposite. The only thing they had in common was basketball. Both twins played in the city league for kids, but that's all they did together. Aidan played baseball, and Bailey did swimming.

"Not really. I have to be around her at home all the time."

"I see. I guess I wouldn't want to spend recess with someone who I lived with either. What's Bailey like at home?" The young teacher probed.

"I don't know. Kinda the same. She runs around a lot and gets in trouble a lot."

"What does she get in trouble for?"

"Mostly for being too hyper, my daddy says. And she forgets to do her homework and chores a lot, so she gets in trouble for that too."

"Why do you think she does that?"

"I don't know. She just forgets a lot and can't be good."

"Oh, dear."

The recess bell rang, and Miss Lorden had to round up all the kids.

"Nice talking to you, Aidan. You sound like a really great brother."

"Thanks, Miss Lorden."

Aidan watched Miss Lorden leave, yelling to line up at the door. Bailey sure had a nice teacher. He wished Bailey would be nicer to her, and quit acting up.

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Nick and Sara walked hand in hand down the hallway of Las Vegas Elementary towards the primary wing. Mally had graciously volunteered to watch her younger siblings after they finished school so they could both go in to talk to Miss Lorden. The parents hadn't been so nervous about visiting a school since, well…Mally was accused of cheating. There was an ominous feeling, like the teacher was going to tell them just how awful Bailey was. As parents, they worried endlessly about their children, and felt very nervous at a teacher telling them they weren't doing a good job. Nick and Sara knew they were good parents, but Bailey tested their limits constantly. They did their best with the little girl.

As they neared Miss Lorden's classroom, they saw the young teacher at her desk, and she looked about as nervous as them. The Stokes were reminded this was difficult for her too, but that didn't make it any easier for them.

Sara knocked on the opened classroom door, and Miss Lorden greeted them warmly.

"Come on in, guys, and take a seat over there at the table. I'll just grab my stuff."

Nick and Sara quietly found two tiny chairs and sat at the table designed for seven year olds. Their knees touched the sides uncomfortably and Sara giggled nervously at the setting. The room was decorated cutely as any first grade classroom was. Lots of things hanging from the ceiling and on the walls. Bailey's desk was at the front of the room where Miss Lorden could easily keep an eye on her.

Miss Lorden smiled as she sat down with them, a manila folder in tow, and took a deep breath before beginning. Damn, she was hot, Nick thought. He wished he had a teacher as good looking as her when he was in school.

"Thank you so much for coming in today. I appreciate your support in everything at school. A lot of parents aren't like that nowadays." She admitted. A lot of parents seemed to take their child's side instead of the teacher's side, making it difficult for schools. But luckily the Stokes were firm believers in backing their children's teachers up.

"We appreciate you calling." Sara told her nervously.

"I called you in today because I've had some more concerns about Bailey's behavior, and I was hoping we could talk and work out a plan to help her succeed."

Her speech sounded like it was straight out of an education book, which it was. Miss Lorden was so nervous about meeting with the Stokes. She didn't want them to think she was a failure, or were offended that she was concerned about Bailey.

"We would love to help you out in any way possible." Nick told her honestly. "And for you to keep helping us out at home."

"Well, good. I'm glad we're on the same page."

"Bailey loves you as a teacher, but we've been noticing more and more behavior problems at home too. Do you think she has real problems…" Sara trailed off.

"I've definitely noticed a change since the beginning of the year. She's just been having more and more trouble sitting still and concentrating. And she forgets things a lot. Do you notice that?"

"I don't know how many times she's been in trouble for forgetting her homework and chores." Nick admitted.

"Okay. And I've been seeing similar things here. She'll find her homework in her desk in the morning that she forgot to take home, and I reminded her she can come in after school…"

"We're not allowing her to do that. If she forgets her homework, then she has to suffer the consequences." Nick explained, a stickler for this rule. "It's been painful for her, but we think it teaches her a valuable lesson."

"That's just fine. I appreciate your support."

"I've been considering some sort of a chart system with Bailey." Miss Lorden continued, "Where she can earn rewards for good behavior, instead of being punished for bad behavior, and you could use it at home if you like the idea. Each day that she remembers her homework and doesn't get a yellow card, she will earn a gold star. When she collects five stars, she can get a prize from the prize box, or some other reward."

"What if she misses a day? Would she start over?" Sara tried to clarify.

"Ummm…we can start off by allowing her to continue, even when she misses a day, but if we need to, we could make her start over."

Sara nodded her head and looked at her husband, who looked a bit skeptical, leaning back in his chair.

"Nick, what do you think?" She asked her husband.

"I like it, butone of myconcerns would be Aidan." Nick admitted. "He's such a good kid, and always does his homework and rarely gets in trouble. If he sees his sister getting rewarded for the things he does anyway, what will happen?"

"Well, we could always make a chart for him, too." Sara suggested.

"Yeah, but does he really need that? I don't want them thinking that whenever they do what's expected of them, they should get some reward. That's not really how life works. Sometimes, you just have to work hard."

Miss Lorden looked uncomfortable, as her plan was being vetoed by Nick. She wasn't quite sure what to say, and Nick could see he'd made her uneasy.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lorden, I didn't mean to sound defensive. We'd need to think about this a lot more. It's a good idea, but I'm not sure that's the kind of message I want to send to Bailey."

"Well, she really loves you, Miss Lorden, so maybe her reward could be eating lunch with you or something like that. She'd love to spend some one on one time with you." Sara suggested. "What do you think, Nick?"

"I think we should discuss this at home first." Nick said seriously. He wouldn't agree to anything concerning his children right on the spot. There needed to be more serious discussion with his wife.

"Okay, Nick." Sara said, obviously a little disappointed that he wasn't taking to the idea. But they were a team, and if he wasn't on board, the plan would sink to the bottom. They were about to get up to leave when Miss Lorden stopped them again.

"I also wanted to give you a referral." She told them nervously, not knowing what they would think. "To the school psychologist. I've only taught for a few months, but I think what I'm seeing in Bailey may fall under the ADHD spectrum."

"ADHD?" Nick questioned. "You mean a hyperactivity disorder?"

"Yes. And a difficulty concentrating. Bailey's been showing a lot of the symptoms. She can't sit still, she's disruptive, and forgets things a lot. I think it would be worth checking out."

Nick was shocked. He'd never even thought about the possibility of Bailey having ADHD. His little girl had serious problems? Her teacher thought she may need to be medicated? Or was she just trying to make excuses for her inexperience and inability to handle such a child as Bailey? Sure, she was a handful, but with the right discipline, Bailey was just fine. He often wondered how his daughter would be doing in another classroom. Would she be having the same problems?

"Do you think she'd be having the same problems in another classroom?" Nick asked, though he knew it was rude.

"Nick!" Sara warned him, feeling bad for Miss Lorden. Nick was very protective of his children, especially his girls.

"Mr. Stokes, I…"

"Her brother is doing just fine is Mrs. Wendell's room. I mean, they're twins. They can't have that much difference in behavior issues."

Nick knew that was a flat out lie, but he'd just been told his daughter may have serious problems. He was defensive when it came to his children, but he was also testingthe teacher. Did she really know what she was talking about?

"Believe me, Mr. Stokes. I have discussed this situation at length with my colleagues. My principal has been more than pleased with my performance and classroom management, so yes, I do think she would be having similar issues in other classrooms. I also spoke to her kindergarten teacher, who has twenty three years' experience, and she saw similar behaviors last year."

Damn! She'd really done her homework. Despite being young, Miss Lorden knew what she was talking about. She wouldn't bring up something as serious as ADHD unless she was sure it was appropriate. It wasn't something she'd dreamed of doing while in college, but it had happened her first year.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lorden. I didn't mean to sound defensive. It's just, she's my little girl, you know, and I just want her to succeed."

"I understand." She smiled weakly. "I want her to succeed also, which is why I think we should see what the psychologist says. I want to get her the help she needs."

"Thank you, Miss Lorden." Sara said, embarrassed by her husband's little outburst. He ranted all the time to the twins about respecting teachers, and he'd about bitten the poor girl's head off. "We'll set up an appointment with the psychologist and talk about your behavior plan. Thanks for your time."

"And yours too."

Sara quickly shuffled her husband out of the room, shutting the door. She then smacked Nick on the back of the head.

"Nicholas Alan Stokes!" She almost yelled. "What has gotten into you? That poor woman will probably never want to teach again!"

"I'm sorry, Sar," He said sheepishly, "I was just trying to get information, and making sure seeing the psychologist was necessary."

"She's a teacher, Nick. Even though she's young, she knows her stuff."

"I realize that now, thank you." Nick muttered. He felt a mixture of disappointment and hope as they walked down the hall. Miss Lorden did know her stuff, but it was an uneasy feeling. Bailey probably really did need to be evaluated at least, but that wasn't a good feeling for the parents. Was it something they'd done? Where had things gone wrong? Why were Aidan and the rest of the kids fine, and Bailey had so many issues? It didn't make sense. Sometimes it amazed them at how different their children's needs were. Mally was basically independent, apart from seeking advice from them on occasion. They were practically done raising her. Aidan's biggest concern was his confidence – he sometimes seemed overshadowed by his more outgoing sister, and lacked self esteem somewhat. He needed encouragement more than anything else.

Bailey was just a firecracker. Sometimes she was sweet as could be, but many times she was hyper, disruptive, and attention-seeking. She required the most discipline of all the others combined. Bailey needed to be kept leashed in and under control.

And, of course Mari. She was at the stage in her life where she depended on others for everything. Keeping her safe, potty training, manners, and right versus wrong were her main issues. Having a toddler was a full-time job in itself, and they were thankful they had three older children to help out.

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Mally was pushing her baby sister on the swings that afternoon in a park near their house. It was one of the swings that had leg holes so the toddler wouldn't fall out. Mari had the biggest smile imaginable on her face, her arms out to the sides, letting the breeze hit as much of her body as possible.

"Woo hoo!" She yelled as Mally pushed her again.

"Do you like swinging, Mari?"

"Yep! Harder!" She demanded. Mally sighed and tried to push a little harder. Her arms were tired after twenty minutes of pushing, but it was her sister's favorite activity. How could she say no? She glanced over at the twins, who were actually playing together on the playground.

She'd finally given in to her siblings' demands a little after four o'clock. They were getting really rambunctious, especially Bailey, so she brought them to burn off some energy. Hopefully, they'd be tired enough to be good for their parents, and they could actually have some breathing time.

"Mally, when's it time for basketball?" Bailey yelled from across the park.

Mally's heart about dropped. Her parents never said anything about basketball practice. She glanced at her watch.

"What time is it normally?"

"Four thirty."

"Shit! It's almost five o'clock." Mally slapped her hand over her mouth, not believing she just said shit in front of her seven and two year old siblings.

"Shit!" Mari repeated, giggling. She was learning new words all the time.

"Mari, don't say that word." Mally told her sister.

"Shit!" She repeated. It was a neat-sounding word, the two year old decided.

"You'll get in trouble if you say that word." Mally informed her as she stopped the swing and gripped Mari under the armpits. Her foot got caught in the hole, and she actually hooked it so Mally couldn't get her out.

"Mo' swing!" She demanded.

"No more swinging, Mari. We have to get home."

"I say shit!" She warned.

"No! Don't say shit! Don't say that word!"

Mally knew she was far past the stage in her life when she could be punished by her parents, but their looks still whipped her back in line. They would not be happy with her if they learnedshe taught Mari her first cuss word.

"Mo' swing!"

"We'll swing more tomorrow. I promise." She waggled her sister around, trying to get her foot loose. Now she understood how frustrated her parents would get when she or the twins threw a tantrum as little kids. It was so damn annoying and embarrassing! The other parents were looking at her now.

"Come on, Mari. We need to go." She gently whispered.

Mari finally gave up and allowed her sister to place her on her hip.Mally quickly ushered over the twins and they scurried home.

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Nick and Sara had just arrived home a few minutes before when their four children barged into the front door. They were having a little make out time on the couch after their small fight on the way home. Mally scrunched her face up as they scrambled to adjust their clothing and sit up straight. Bailey and Aidan were getting smarter, and knew what their parents had been up to.

"Eeeeeewwwww." Bailey commented as she ran and pounced onto Nick's lap.

"Oooof!" Nick let out. Bailey put her arms around his neck and settled into his lap. It reminded Nick of just how sweet and loving she could be when she wanted to. He wondered if this was how she'd always be if she were medicated. Had the daughter he'd known these past seven years been a lie? If she were medicated, would it change her personality? Nick loved Bailey and all her moods, behaviors, and idiosyncrasies. He didn't want to change who she was.

Nick took his daughter in completely, feeling the weight of her body, the smell of her shampoo, and the sound of her giggling happily. He kissed her on the forehead and held onto her a little tighter.

"I love you, Bailey."

"Love you too, daddy." She kissed him back.

"Mom, does she have basketball practice tonight?" Mally asked, out of breath. She put Mari down on the floor, and she scurried over to her mother, who lovingly took the little girl into her lap. Aidan plopped himself down on the couch.

"Aidan, shoes off." Sara reminded her son. He quickly nudged them off and reclined himself once again on the sofa. "No, sweetheart. Only Mondays and Wednesdays."

"Phew!" Mally allowed herself to sit on the recliner next to her parents. "We had a little scare. I made them rush back because I thought she was late."

"Well, it's getting late anyway. We need to start making dinner." Sara waggled her eyebrows at Mari. Her pudgy hand reached up and tried to grab her mother's dancing eyebrows. When she failed, Sara tried to bite her hand.

"Shit!" Mari exclaimed, snatching her hand out of the way.

Her parents' eyes shot over to the two year old in shock. Had she just said what they thought she said? They next looked at Bailey, who held her hands up in innocence. Their gazes then shifted to Mally, who looked undeniably guilty, her hand covering her face.

"Shit." She muttered.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey again! Yeah, I have no life right now, because I'm not teaching. But enjoying the break, nonetheless. I have tons more time to write, but please let me know if you get sick of me. I'll actually be leaving for Michigan on Sunday and staying for a week in a remote log cabin with no Internet access, so you'll get a break from my psychotic self! cheering ensues

I just thought I'd mention b/c I forgot to in the last chapter. I'm no expert, but after two years of teaching, I'm pretty sure teachers aren't supposed to actually suggest to parents that their children may have ADHD. I've never had to do it, but I guess it's frowned upon. But, for dramatic purposes, Miss Lorden did it. She's partially based on me in all my naïve beginning teacherness. Enjoy, and please review!

One was better than two…sometimes. The next day, it was Nick's turn to stay at home with Mari. For some reason, Sara had volunteered the family to make the program schedules for the upcoming basketball tournament that Bailey and Aidan would be playing in. Nick was trying to write the document on the family computer, but couldn't figure out how to lay it out as a book. Mally was gone for the day, visiting a few of her high school friends while she was in town.

Luckily, Mari was a pretty easygoing kid, so she was happy for the most part just running around the house. It was pretty much child-proof, with all the cabinets locked, but Nick knew from experience to keep a close eye on a two year old. She was screeching a little more than usual, so Nick called his daughter in to the living room, where the computer was stationed.

"Mari, come see daddy for a minute!" He yelled over his shoulder. Seconds later, he heard the pitter patter of her little fit on the hardwood floor. He reached to pick her up when he sensed the little girl beside him, but then stopped when he felt bare skin.

"Mari!" Nick reprimanded, sighing. The little girl was stark naked as the day she was born. Mari, for some reason or other, was obsessed at this point in her life with being naked. She just loved the free feeling of it, he guessed, and didn't understand that some other people may be uncomfortable with her being naked. Not that it was a big deal at home with no guests, but more than once she'd stripped in front of company. Nick had raised three children, though, so he was used to it. But it was still unsettling when he wasn't expecting it.

"Why don't you have your clothes on?" He set her down on her feet and waited for an answer.

"Coz I don't wike 'em." She said sincerely.

"I know you don't always like them, but it's not good just to run around with no clothes. I don't want the boys chasing you just yet." He ruffled her hair and planted a kiss on her brunette head.

"You never wet me be a nay-kid."

Mari hadn't quite learned how to use the word yet. She thought it meant a kid who was 'nay'. And 'nay' was another word for no clothes. Nick sometimes forgot that Mari could sometimes already talk in complete sentences at the age of two. It was something she did occasionally, and none of his other kids had done it that early. Nick knew she was a smart cookie, but right now she was also a naked cookie.

"At least go put on some underwear, sweetheart." Nick requested. That covered most of it. The doorbell rang and Nick stood, picking Mari up and tucking her under his arm. As he reached the hallway, Nick set the squealing toddler down and pushed her towards the pile of her clothes on the floor.

It was Mrs. Bradley from next door, coming over to borrow a cup of sugar, of all things. But, like most women, she also wanted to chat a little bit. Nick politely went along with it as Mrs. Bradley told him all about her new lawn ornaments and her grandson's doctor checkup. Minutes later, he heard a little voice from behind him, and Mrs. Bradley started grinning. He felt a tug on his pant leg.

"Daddy, is this panty otay?" She asked him, holding up her butterfly drawers for him, and Mrs. Bradley, to see.

"Yes, sweetheart, those are fine. Go put 'em on." Nick told her, turning her around and pushing her gently.

"Daddy, I have to go baf'woom." She announced on her way to the hall.

"Then go use this restroom. I'll be there in a minute, baby." Nick tried to shoo her away, slightly embarrassed by her nakedness. But Mrs. Bradley was a grandmother, so she understood, as she went on to explain. She was just going in to where she got her petunias when they heard it.

"Daaaaaaadyyyyyyyyyy! I poooooooopiiiiiiiieeeeeeeed!"

Nick's face turned bright red, and he cleared his throat.

"You'll have to excuse me, Mrs. Bradley. Someone's calling."

He should have been proud, since they'd been struggling with potty-training Mari for months now, but it was a little embarrassing. Nick made his way into the bathroom to find Mari still sitting proudly on the pot.

"I poopied, daddy!" She exclaimed again, expecting to be praised.

"I heard." Nick muttered.

"Daddy, proud?" She asked.

"Yes, sweetheart, daddy's proud, but next time, don't yell when there's a guest, okay?"

"Why?" She asked naively, looking at her daddy with confused eyes.

"Well, people don't like to hear about poop, Mari." He helped his daughter off the pot and helped her clean up.

"Why?"  
"Because they don't. It's gross."

"Oh." Mari said, having another a-ha moment that was so common in her third year on earth. She was always discovering things, and Nick sometimes forgot that she didn't know what was proper or rude, having three older children.

Nick helped her put on another pair of her Pull-Up underwear, in case of accidents, and she went on her merry way. Back to the basketball schedule.

Nick was just starting to work things out, when the telephone rang. He checked Mari, who had since become enthralled by Dora the Explorer on the television.

"Stokes residence."

"Mr. Stokes? This is Miss Lorden at school."

"Is everything okay?" He immediately asked, the father's mind already racing.

"I'm afraid not. Bailey had a bit of a meltdown."

"A meltdown?" Nick went to the countertop and grabbed his cell phone and his keys, and then leaned on it, waiting for her to continue.

"Yes. She got in trouble again today for talking, and had to stay in at recess. When I tried to help her with her work, she got really upset and defensive, and just started crying. I don't know what happened…"

"Where is she now?" He walked to the television and turned it off, much to Mari's disappointment, who immediately started protesting. He moved the phone from his mouth to give his daughter directions. "Get your clothes and your shoes on, Mari."

"She's at the nurse. She's fine now, but she's asking for you or her mother."

"I'll be right in. Give me ten minutes."

Nick hung up and helped Mari put the rest of her clothes on, althewhile trying to explain why she had to miss the end of Dora. Mari was not a happy camper as Nick strapped her into her car seat in the second row of the family van. At the thought of one of his children upset and alone, Nick sped down the roads as fast as was safe, stopping minimally at stop signs, until he finally arrived at Las Vegas Elementary.

Quick as a flash, he had Mari unbuckled and secured on his hip and he was almost running to the front door. He slowed and caught his breath as he entered the front door, Mari giggling at the little ride she'd gotten. Nick proceeded into the main office.

"I'm Nick Stokes, and I'm here to see my daughter Bailey. I was told she was in the nurse's office." He told the secretary.

"Yes, she's right back here." The secretary lead the worried father into the nurse's office and back to one of the darkened rooms with cots.

As soon as Bailey saw her father, she sat up and held her arms out.

Nick set down Mari gently on the cot next to her sister, and then his protective, healing arms went around Bailey as she started sobbing again.

"Daddy, IwassoupsetIcouldn'tdotheworkandIstartedcrying."

"Sssshhhhhhh…" Nick calmed his daughter, rocking her gently as he brought her onto his lap. "Don't worry. Daddy's here. You just calm down, okay?" He kissed her twice for good measure and continued to rock her gently. Mari looked concerned and just watched for a while, her eyes wide.

Nick could feel that his daughter's heart rate was racing. All this from an emotional reaction? He hadn't heard the full story yet, but it didn't sound like something physical had happened. There hadn't been an altercation or a fight. This reaction Bailey was displaying was pure emotion and adrenaline. The poor girl probably didn't know what to do with it. So, she just snapped.

Bailey felt so safe now, that she was close to falling asleep as her crying died down. Her head was resting comfortably on her dad's chest, as his strong arms held onto her securely. She stared ahead at Mari, her eyelids drooping, as the two year looked at her curiously. Mari probably thought she was a freak now.

"Baiwey otay?" She asked her father quietly, managing to stand up and put her tiny hand on his arm.

"Yeah. Bailey's just a little upset, but she'll be okay." Nick told his youngest gently. Then Nick was reminded of the beauty and tenderness of a small child, as Mari leaned over gently, using his arm for support, and kissed Bailey softly on the cheek. Bailey smiled slightly and wiped a tear from her face.

"That was very nice of you, Mari." Nick told her proudly, and squeezed Bailey a little tighter.

"Aw better?" She asked her father.

"Maybe not all better, but I think that helped, didn't it Bailey?"

Bailey nodded a little, but stayed cuddled in snugly to her father. He stroked her hair back from her tear-stained face and kissed her forehead once more. Then, a knock at the door. It was the nurse and Miss Lorden.

"Hello, Bailey. Are you feeling a little better now your daddy's here?" The nurse asked the first grader gently. The lady was the epitome of a school nurse. She was in her fifties, a grandmotherly type, who could fix just about anything. She knelt down in front of the girl and touched her arm gently.

"Yeah." Bailey finally spoke.

"Good. Is it okay if I have you lay back down for a minute while Miss Lorden and I talk to your daddy? It'll just be for a minute, I promise."

Bailey looked up at Nick, who nodded at her in reassurance. Now that she was calm, she felt a little stronger.

"You'll be fine now, sweetheart. I just need to talk to the nurse and your teacher. Mari can stay and keep you company. Would that be alright?"

"Okay." All her answers seemed to be one-word, as she hadn't fully recovered from her meltdown yet.

Nick stood up and walked out the door, leaving it slightly ajar.

"What's going on with her?" He started.

"I think what we're seeing is just a typical meltdown that some kids get when they're a little stressed." The nurse began, the better expert on emotional issues. "I already spoke to Miss Lorden, and she tells me she's been forgetting assignments, and getting in trouble in class a lot for talking…"

"Yes, I'm aware of this. We spoke yesterday."

"Okay, so things just seem a little more stressful for her right now, and she just reacted a little more emotionally today."

"Okay." Nick breathed out, though he was still concerned. This had never happened with Mally or Aidan. Why with Bailey? Was it that ADHD stuff again? "Could this have something to do with the possibility of her having ADHD?"

"Yes it could, Mr. Stokes." The nurse continued. Nick glanced at Miss Lorden, who looked scared and worried. He couldn't believe that his Bailey, his little girl could frighten a grown woman so much. What was her problem? Would another teacher have handled this differently? Maybe Bailey would have never had a meltdown if that had been the case. "And we do need to discuss meeting with the psychologist."

"My wife and I still need to think that over."

Nick and Sara had begun to discuss it last night, but it had been too fresh, and they were still too worked up about it to have a decent conversation. So, they called it a night, and decided to discuss it today. They had no idea it was such a pressing issue.

"Alright. Please do consider it. I think it would really help Bailey out. I'm seeing a lot of classic symptoms in her, and I really do think medication would help calm her and help her concentrate."

"Thank you, Mrs. Matthews." Nick shook her hand.

"It's your decision if you would like to take her home today. There's about an hour and a half left of school, but she may not be in the best mood for learning right now."

"Alright, thanks for your advice."

Mrs. Matthews turned and went back to tend to some other ailing students, and Nick turned to Miss Lorden.

"Miss Lorden, what exactly was happening before her little meltdown?" Nick asked calmly, though his mind was racing.

"She didn't pay attention during math class, so I gave her a yellow card." The young teacher started explaining. Nick subconsciously crossed his arms and started nodding his head, the way he did sometimes with a suspect he was interrogating. Poor woman. "She did remember to come in at recess today. So I started working with her on her math assignment, but since she hadn't paid attention, she didn't know what to do. She got really upset and frustrated, and then just broke down."

"Did you say anything to her that may have triggered this? Because this has never happened before."

Miss Lorden felt like she was in the hot seat. She knew that parents were instinctively protective of their children, but Mr. Stokes was very much so. This was the second time she felt like he was accusing her of something.

"No, Mr. Stokes. I most certainly didn't. I was merely explaining how to borrow across zeros when subtracting, and she just shut down and started sobbing hysterically. There was nothing I could do to console her, so I brought her down to the nurse."

"And Bailey will tell me the same thing?" He checked, giving her a suspicious eye, which she didn't appreciate.

"Yes, Mr. Stokes. I am on your side. I'm just trying to help Bailey."

"I know, I know. You're right. I'm sorry. I'm getting defensive again, aren't I?" He tried to smile a little bit, but failed.

Miss Lorden smirked nervously.

"Yeah, a little bit."

"I'm sorry. Again…my daughters. I'm very protective of them."

"I noticed, but I understand."

"Thank you." He looked back at the door, and saw a two year old eye peeking out. Nick knew she was getting bored and needed to get back home. "Well, I think I'll just take Bailey home right now, because I don't think you'd be able to get any work out of her at this point. But I'd be happy to work with her at home. Subtracting, you said?"

"Yes, subtracting across zeros." Miss Lorden turned and handed him Bailey's backpack, with her math book and assignment inside. "You just need to emphasize to keep going left until you find a number that's not zero. And to remember to cross out the zero's and make it a ten."

Nick was impressed with the way she'd explained the concept to him. He knew she was a good teacher just starting out. With some more experience, he knew she would eventually be one of the best. She had a lot of heart, and he appreciated that in his children's teachers.

"Thank you, Miss Lorden. I'll try my best." He smiled this time. Nick watched her walk out of the nurse's office as she headed back to class. The relieved, but still worried about ADHD father turned back to the darkened room. He pushed it open gently to find Bailey holding her sister on her lap.

"Are you ready to go, sweetheart?"

"Yes, daddy."

Bailey stood up and Mari happily accepted the ride on her big sister's hip. She struggled a little with the weight of her sister, but managed to haul her out to the van.

"Where Aidan?" Mari asked, when they were all strapped in.

"He'll ride the bus home." Nick told the toddler as he pulled out of his parking spot. "How about we go play at the park?"

Nick thought it was a good idea, as Mari was getting stir-crazy, and Bailey looked like she needed a little fun. His suspicions were affirmed as Mari started screeching in delight, and clapping her hands. Bailey seemed indifferent, but she wasn't in a screeching mood like her sister was. Hopefully, the park and some bonding time would help with that.

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Fifteen minutes later, Bailey was giggling finally a little, after Nick told her to squeeze into one of the little toddler swings also. She was too big when she tried, so Bailey ended up just depositing her little butt into the "scoop" and letting her legs hang over the edge.

"That works!" Nick joked, and immediately started pushing the seven year old. Now, he pushed Mari wish his left hand and Bailey with his right. Life seemed wonderful at the moment, but he knew serious conversations were looming sooner rather than later. He needed to sit down with Bailey and asked her some questions, and he needed to have a conversation with Sara. But for now, the sounds of his two youngest daughters giggling was music to his ears, and soothed his soul. It was a beautiful day, and sometimes he forgot to stop and smell the roses, so to say.

"Daddy, higher!" Mari requested.

"Okay!" He tried in vain to get her higher, but Mari seemed to think he was doing a good job, so that was all that mattered. Nick's heart became a little lighter when his eyes fell upon Bailey. Her eyes were closed, and her head titled back, with a serene smile on her face. She looked so calm, and happy, and just…normal in the moment. There were so many times when he questioned if she was normal, and he felt terrible every time he did. She came from him and Sara…of course she should be normal. The other kids were "normal", so why was she always so stressed out? He wished for his daughter that she could always be this happy and carefree. That's all he wanted for her.

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"Daddy, I find a stick!" Mari announced proudly, holding it up for her father to see. She was playing in the sandbox now, entertained between her own discoveries and two other tots. Nick sat on one of the park benches, his arm draped casually over the back, as Bailey sat next to him, her hands tucked under her legs, which were swinging nervously.

"That's good, baby, keep looking!" He turned to Bailey. "So…how are you doing now? Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah? You still seem a little quiet. Is something bothering you?"

"Do you think I'm weird?" She looked him in the eye, and Nick was sure he looked terrified. The truth was, he was worried about her. He didn't think she was weird, but he wondered what was going on in that little head of hers.

"No, baby. Of course I don't think you're weird."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

Nick touched her arm gently to get her to turn to him, which she did a little reluctantly.

"Bailey Catherine, I am your father, and I could never think you are weird. You're my daughter and I love you without question. I know you're feeling a little uncomfortable and stressed, but you are not weird."

"The kids at school think so." She moped, concerned with what others thought of her a lot. Nick had almost forgotten what it was like to be a kid. A lot of the time, they were carefree and didn't care about what others thought, but other times, they were put under a microscope by their peers. Kids could be really mean, and he didn't want any of his children experiencing the wrath of some pesky self-righteous brats.

"Why do you say that?"

"Some of them call me Crazy Bailey and make fun of me when I get in trouble."

"They do? Well, I know it's hard, but you just have to ignore them. It may be hard at first, but if you don't pay attention to them, they'll stop once it's no fun anymore."

Bailey was silent for a moment.

"Well, how come I can't pay attention in school, but I pay attention to the other kids?" She wondered smartly. Nick didn't know how to answer. The seven year old had him stumped, but he had to sound somewhat intelligent in front of his daughter.

"I'm not sure, Bails, but we can get you some help figuring out why." He introduced the idea gently. "You see, a lot of kids have trouble paying attention and remembering things, just like you, and the doctors have made a special medicine that helps you concentrate."

"Really? Can I get it today?" She was eager as could be. Bailey wanted this uncontrolled feeling gone. She hated how her body felt. How it kept betraying her and causing her to get in trouble.

"Well, not today, because we need to talk to mommy first, and then a special doctor before we can get the medicine. But is this what you want to do?"

"Yes." She said, feeling a little hopeful for the first time. Her daddy knew how to get her help, and she was going to get better. She knew it. And she was going to make him and mommy so proud at how well she could concentrate and remember things.

"Okay, then." He kissed her head. "We'll talk to mommy tonight."

Bailey snuggled into her father's side, and draped his arm around her. She smiled widely, feeling the safest she had in a long time. That brain of hers was going to start cooperating. Her daddy was going to make it.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Howdy, readers. I'm back from the big MI. It was pretty awesome. Got to spend some time with my dad, so it was all good. I'm sure you didn't miss my dorky ass too much. I had a little trouble cranking this one out, so please let me know what you think. Not too much action till the end – just a lot of family bonding, which is always fun to write. Please let me know what you think in a review!

"I'm not mad, Nick." Sara tried to assure her husband as she put the plates in the dishwasher that night. "I just wish you hadn't introduced the idea to her before you talked to me."

Nick glanced over his shoulder to make sure the kids weren't listening in, like they sometimes did. Bailey had run to Sara that day when she got home from work, and told her mother all about what her father suggested. Sara was a little annoyed that Nick would get her hopes up so much when they hadn't even agreed to the approach as a team. Sometimes Nick seemed to forget that they needed to make decisions together, and jumped to them himself.

"Sweetheart, you didn't see how upset she was at school. I had to let her know that there was help on the way." Nick whispered, though Bailey was supposedly up in her room doing homework.

"I know, Nick." Sara clinked the silver wear into the holders apathetically, "But we never even decided we were going to do this, and we can't really back out now. And I don't know if we can afford all the doctor's visits and medication…"

"Sar." Nick walked around the washer and took his wife's hands in his. She reluctantly let him, knowing he was probably going to successfully make things all better between them again. If not, she could always hold it against him in bed that night and get some action her way. They'd been worrying at length for a while now about their finances, with Mally in college and Mari's birth coming a little sooner than expected. "I really think this will help her out. And she feels so much better now she knows her behavior can be helped."

"But we don't know how much it will help, Nick. What will it change? Will she be reserved now, and not the same kid? I have so many questions, Nick, and I wish you hadn't…"

Nick brought Sara into a hug right there in the kitchen. He could tell her reaction was out of fear right now, just as he was feeling the same things. They didn't know what to do, but they had to do something. They couldn't just stand by and watch their little girl suffer.

"I know, baby. I'm sorry, but I just had to do something." Nick kissed her forehead and stroked her back gently, wondering if he had done the right thing. He felt in his heart, though, that if he was trying to help Bailey, he couldn't go wrong. "Why don't we go talk to the doctor tomorrow together. Just you and me, and Bails can come another time, after we've made a decision."

Sara looked at her husband and nodded, smiling slightly. Everything would be okay.

"Besides, we can always just start giving her vitamins and tell her it's Ritalin." Nick joked. Sara giggled, but punched him in the chest once. Nick leaned in and they shared a slow, sensual kiss, and finished with another hug. "And Mally's still not back. Where is that booger?"

It was almost 7:30, and Mally had been visiting with high school friends all day. Nick had finally allowed her to get a cell phone when she went to college, though he wished he hadn't a few times after getting the bill. He didn't understand why they hadn't gotten a call from her yet.

"Why don't you call her, and I'll give Mari her bath."

"Alright. She's probably already naked, so you won't even have to fight her."

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Mally finally had to pull away for air in the back seat of Jason's car after a heavy make out session. Instead of meeting with her high school friends like she'd told her parents, Mally had instead driven halfway to her boyfriend's house, and was somewhere in Southern California. They'd spent the day together, and were having trouble saying goodbye again. Jason's hand was resting inside Mally's thigh under her skirt, and it felt good. It felt good to be wanted in this way, but in her heart she knew nothing could happen. But it was hard to say no.

"Jason…I have to go. My parents will be worried." Mally whispered to Jason. His hand came back to life, causing Mally to close her eyes to find the strength to leave.

"Why don't you stay? You can call and say you're staying at a friend's."

"I can't lie to them." Mally felt awful enough deceiving them for the day, and couldn't take much more of the awful feeling. She'd worked hard to gain their trust back after sneaking out to a party years ago They trusted her again, and she didn't want to ruin that.

"You've been doing it all day." Jason kissed her tenderly, trying to convince her.

"I know. And that's about all I'll be able to get away with around them. Jason, you forget they investigate crimes for a living. I never got away with anything."

"Quit worrying so much." Jason stroked under her skirt again and dove for her mouth. Mally finally found the strength to push him away.

"Sorry, Jason. I. I really have to go. But I'll see you in, like, five days. It's not that long." She tried to point out as she straightened her clothes and her hair.

"Fine."

They both climbed back into the front seats.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" Mally suggested, reaching for the handle.

"Alright."

Mally finally opened the door to the car and fumbled with her own keys. She unlocked the door and climbed in to begin her journey back to Las Vegas. But first, she'd need to call home and explain herself.

She hoped that Sara would answer the phone, but she got no such luck, when her phone actually rang. It was home, and she could be sure it was her dad.

"Dad?" She answered, trying to sound as carefree as possible, but cringed.

"Mally Elyse Stokes, where are you and why haven't you called?" Her father's concerned, but forgiving voice questioned her. Nick knew she was twenty years old and practically a grown woman, but he of course still worried about her because she was his daughter. He made every effort to give her space and let her live her own life, but she still managed to worry him often.

"I'm still out with my friends, dad." Mally lied, hating herself for it.

"Where are you?" Nick questioned.

"I, uh…I'm at…the Burger King downtown." Mally looked around and hoped he bought her story. She'd paused though, and he probably picked up on that.

"Why isn't there any noise?"

Mally rolled her eyes. He was ever the investigator.

"Dad, are you interrogating me?"  
"No. I just haven't heard from you all day. When are you coming home? The kids miss you."

"I'll be home in a couple of hours."

"A couple hours? Mal, they'll be in bed by then. Why don't you just come home real quick and say goodnight. Bailey had a rough day and she wants to see you."

"Dad, I can't." She wished he would just stop.

Nick knew that Mally wasn't where she said she was. She had to think up an answer, and he could tell she wasn't in a crowded place. If she had been in high school, he would have busted her on it, but alas, she was a college girl now. He didn't want to push her away by holding on too tight. But he liked to believe that his daughter would be honest with him. He hoped she respected him enough to do that.

"Alright, sweetheart. Come tell mom and me you're back when you get home, okay? No matter what time it is."

"I will."

"Kay. I love you."

"I love you too."

Nick shut off the phone and sensed another body close to him in the kitchen. He turned to see Bailey with tears in her eyes once again. She was clinging on to her math notebook, seemingly frustrated with the work she had to do. Nick let out a sympathetic noise and picked her up, though she was definitely getting heavy. He kissed her face as she pawed at her eyes and took her to the kitchen table. Nick sat down and held Bailey in his lap.

"Baby, why are you crying?" He asked Bailey gently.

"I don't know…"

"What do you have there?" He nodded at the notebook that was clenched under her left arm.

"My math homework." She sniffled, taking in short, labored breaths.

"Oh yeah?" He kissed her temple and patted her side. "Let's take a look at this. Were you having a little trouble?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah. Well, subtraction can be a little tricky, but luckily, your daddy knows what he's doing."

Nick put a silly look on his face, hoping to loosen Bailey up, and it helped a little. She seemed to stop crying, anyway.

"Alright. Number one. Twenty minus six."

Nick wrote the problem on a separate piece of paper. Bailey watched curiously as her dad drew twenty stars on the paper. He asked her to help him count as he drew, which she quietly joined in on.

"…eighteen…nineteen…twenty." They finished together.

"Good. So, we have twenty stars, right?"

"Yep."

"And what does the problem say?"

"Twenty minus six."

"Right. So what do we have to do to these twenty stars?"

"Minus six of 'em."

"Good!" Nick handed his daughter the pencil. "Why don't you cross out six of those stars."

Nick watched carefully as Bailey confidently crossed out six of those stars. Then, she knew what to do. She went back and counted how many stars were left."

"Fourteen." She reported.

"Way to go, baby. You got it."

Nick helped Bailey through two more problems, and she seemed to have it, as long as she drew pictures. She seemed to calm down and sat happily in Nick's lap doing the rest of her twenty problems. Nick breathed a sigh of relief and pride as his daughter finished.

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"No want cwoves!" Mari protested, wrapped up in her oversized towel. The little girl would not give in so easily, and stood looking cross but very unintimidating in her tiny form. Sara tried not to laugh as the two year old threw off her towel with as much attitude as her body could muster up.

"Mari, we've talked about this before. You can't sleep naked, because you might get cold in the night, and then you'll scream for daddy and me, and we won't be happy. Is that what you want?"

"No cwoves!" She repeated, crossing her arms and pouting her lip.

"Mari, you have twenty minutes until bedtime. You can stay naked until then, but when it's time for bed, you have to put your pj's on. Deal?"

The little girl contemplated her mother's offer, eyeing her conspiratorially. She finally agreed and ran out of the bathroom gleefully.

Aidan's bedroom door was open and he saw his baby sister run past buck-naked, screeching happily. He shook his head and tried to get back to his homework. Being surrounded by girls could be tough sometimes. Aidan loved his sisters, but sometimes the estrogen clouds that hung all over the house could be suffocating. Someone knocked at his door.

"How you doing, Aid?" Sara asked her son, walking in and sitting on the bed next to him.

"Okay, mom. I'm almost done. Then, can I go play outside?" He asked hopefully. The rule in the Stokes household was that homework was to be done immediately after dinner. If it was still light outside, they could go play in the backyard. Aidan was a very bright boy, and usually finished his work within twenty minutes.

"Of course, baby. What are you working on?"

"Subtraction."

"Yeah? Do you need any help?"

"No. I got it." Aidan answered. He stopped his work and stared down at his paper for a few seconds. "Mom, why is Bailey having so much trouble?"

Sara readjusted her sitting posture, and Aidan figured out that this wasn't just some kiddy concern he had about his sister. His mom and dad were worried too, and that meant it was serious.

"Well, Aidan, we're going to take your sister to a special doctor, because she is having a lot of trouble concentrating in school, isn't she?"

Aidan nodded. "Some of the kids make fun of her and call her Crazy Bailey."

"They do? And how does that make you feel?"

"Not good. I feel really bad. So I tell them to quit it."

"That's good." Sara kissed his head and smiled proudly at her son. "You're such a good brother. You do a good job."

Aidan didn't feel like he did a good job. The other boys didn't really listen to him when he defended his sister. Aidan knew he wasn't all that intimidating. People didn't listen to what he had to say no matter how loud he yelled. He just wanted them to leave his sister alone. Though he was only a few minutes older, Aidan was the big brother, and he took his job seriously.

Mari picked this inopportune time to come streaking through Aidan's bedroom, singing gleefully at the top of her lungs. She ran into her mother's lap, having no thought that her nakedness may not be comfortable to others.

"Mari, what have I told you about screaming in the house?" Sara asked her daughter gently as the little girl wrapped her mother's arms around her.

"Not ta."

"That's right. Screaming hurts people's ears."

"Momma, where Mawwy?" The toddler asked, her chocolate eyes wide and temporarily concerned.

"She's out with her friends, baby. She'll be back later, after you go to bed." Sara reported sadly, stroking Mari's hair gently. Aidan, embarrassed, went back to his homework. Crazy girls.

"No Mawwy tonight?" She gazed up at her mother, pouting.

"Nope. But now it's time for your bath, little girl."

"No baf!" She whined as her mother picked her up, carrying her baby-style out of the room. Nick was coming up the stairs behind Bailey, who finally looked at ease for the night. Nick winked at his wife and rolled his eyes at his little daughter. She'd come streaking downstairs a few minutes before.

"Mari, I hope you're being good for momma." Nick thought out loud, knowing it would have its desired effect on the two year old. Mari immediately stopped squirming and smiled at her daddy.

"Daddy!" She reached her arms out to him. Nick chuckled and took the toddler, tucking her under his arm. He set her down in the bathroom and turned back to Bailey and Sara while Mari tugged on his fingers.

"Bails, I be there in a few minutes, okay? Why don't you let mom start reading with you?"

Bailey nodded, but didn't say a word, grasping her mother's hand. At times, she was calm as could be like she was right now. Nick could tell she felt at ease these times. This is when she must feel comfortable in her own body. When she didn't feel like jumping out of her own skin.

"Okay. Sar, I'm just gonna run her bath, and I'll be right there."

"Alright." Sara said a little shortly, catching Nick's attention.

"Or do you want me to wash her?"

"No, baby, that's fine. My mind…was just wandering."

"Yeah." Nick nodded. They were both thinking about so many things these days – Bailey's issues; Aidan's confidence; Mari's bodily functions; and tonight, Mally's safety. She still wasn't back, and Nick knew she must be off doing something they didn't approve of. "I'll be right there, baby."

Sara followed Bailey into her bedroom, which was any little girl's dream. The room was decorated cozily in white and soft yellow, complete with a snuggly bay window. Mari's crib was in the right corner, with Bailey's bed in the left, the bay window sitting between. Bailey climbed right into her shabby chic quilted covers and reached for the book that rested on her oak nightstand. She scooted over so her mother could join her under the covers. Bailey liked being read to, but she didn't really like reading. It took to much concentrating and her body didn't usually cooperate with that kind of commitment. Bailey was an average reader, not nearly as good as she could be, and she knew it.

"What have you and daddy been reading?" Sara asked her daughter gently as they snuggled in under the covers. She relished in the way that Bailey cuddled in close to her, hooking her little arm in with her own, and resting her head there. Her little hand, with tarnished, chipped purple nail polish ran over the cover of the book. It was called Your Turly, Shirley.

"It's about a girl and she's in the third grade. She gets her letters mixed up and doesn't do that good at school. Kinda like me."

Sara thought about what her daughter had just said, and how she pictured herself in her seven year old mind. She must be so scared and so down on herself, wondering what was wrong with her impressionable mind. Right then, Sara understood what Nick was talking about earlier – seeing that look of defeat in Bailey's eye – that look that showed she was lost and didn't know what to do. She needed to be boosted, or the confidence that was weakened now may never be recovered. Sara couldn't let that happen to her little girl.

"Is that what you think, sweetheart? That you're no good at school?"

"I'm not, momma. I'm stupid because the monster inside me won't let me do my work!" Bailey started crying a little. Nick was about to come in to trade off girls, but stopped momentarily. He listened to what they were saying and the emotional temperature of the room. They were having a moment, and Sara was understanding. He knew she was seeing that look in Bailey's eyes that broke his heart every time. Nick closed his eyes and turned back to the bathroom. He would give Mari her bath, and then he and Sara would have a talk in bed that night.

"The monster? What's the monster?"

"The monster's inside me, and if I don't run and jump for a while, he gets real mad. And he makes me do stuff I don't wanna." Bailey explained her feelings away the only way she knew how. There was something going on inside her that she didn't understand or now how to control. It was like some terrible monster inside her.

"Oh, sweetheart." Sara kissed her daughter's head. "I'm so sorry you feel like that. But daddy and I are going to get you some help with that monster, okay? We're gonna go talk to the doctor tomorrow, and see if we can do something about it."

"Read to me, momma." Bailey requested, wanting this emotion to be over with. She really didn't like to talk about it, because it just reminded her of how crazy she was. Sara could hear Mari playing happily in the tub and her husband's gentle voice talking to her. She smirked down at her daughter sympathetically and was glad to offer her daughter a little distraction.

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Nick and Sara lay in bed that night under the covers facing each other. Nick gently stroked his wife's face with his fingers and leaned into kiss her tenderly, taking in her beautiful eyes. Sometimes he still couldn't believe she loved him; that she married him and carried three of his children. She was so breathtakingly beautiful and smelled heavenly, even after a long day at work.

"I want to go to the doctor tomorrow. About Bailey." Sara whispered, placing her hand on his bare chest. Sometimes she had trouble thinking around Nick; even after seven years of marriage. That sculpted chest somehow always managed to wow her.

"I think that's a good idea. I'll talk to Grissom to get some time off."

"Does she ever talk to you about a monster?" Sara wondered. Bailey had never mentioned a monster to her before, and thought it was telling that was how she'd described her feelings.

"Hmmm?"  
"Bailey said she felt like there's a monster inside her, that makes her act up."

"That's interesting." Nick commented, raising his eyebrows and twisting his lips a little. He often wondered what went through her mind, and hoped they get into it more after seeing the doctor. Nick admitted he was pretty clueless about ADHD, and what behaviors could be explained by it, and how much of it was just a little girl being mischievous.

The phone rang and interrupted their conversation.

"Hello?" Nick answered. His face dropped and his entire body changed as someone else talked on the other end, and Sara could immediately tell something was wrong. "Is she okay? Where is she?" He asked quickly.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" He yelled into the phone, standing up. Sara ran her hand up and down his chest, trying to calm him down, but knew it was no use. "I'll be right there." He slammed the phone down.

"Nick, what's going on?" Sara threw off the covers as Nick shrugged his shirt on and found his jeans and shoes.

"Mally was in an accident."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: So unfortunately, I seem to be leaving Aidan out a little bit. Sorry! He's just such a sweet kid, and I don't want his character to do anything wrong. I'll try to include him some more and do a one-shot about him in "Full House…" for all you Aidan fans. He's a little absent in this one too, but he rocks anyway. Please enjoy, and I hope this isn't too depressing…

She looked like she had come straight out of a war movie, the way her body was banged up. The doctors had warned them that Mally looked worse than she actually was. She had a lot of bruising on her arms and some cuts on her face that looked gruesome, but were relatively minor. Mally had fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed over a small embankment, hitting two trees. Her right leg and left wrist were broken, but other than that, she would be okay.

Nick and Sara saw their daughter as they entered her hospital bedroom eagerly, but trying to keep quiet. Sara felt like she was stepping over a precipice, falling over the edge. She was so nervous and felt physically sick at seeing her daughter all banged up.

Her eyes were squeezed shut as she tried to sleep and get away from the pain, and her face seemed to scream frustration, loneliness, and disappointment in herself. She knew she never should have gone to California, and never should have left that late. Seeing her parents would be a mix of emotions – Mally wanted them right now more than ever, it seemed, to comfort her and tell her everything would be alright; that she was safe, and they loved her. But on top of that, she knew they'd be disappointed in her for going to California without telling them and not pulling over when she was tired.

Mally couldn't sleep worth a damn, though she kept trying, but finally felt a presence in the room. She opened one eye tentatively and saw her parents walking towards her bed. Her father's arms were protectively cradling her mother's, and Sara clung to his embrace as they came to see their damaged daughter. Their eyes softened when Mally opened her eyes all the way. Mally reached her right arm out to them, and Sara immediately magnetized towards her. Nick stood back as Sara wept over their daughter, taking in the sight and scent of her fully. Never before had Nick seen his wife so worried about Mally. He was, of course, elated that Mally was relatively okay, but he also couldn't help but think that his daughter had been selfish, and it had caused them all a great deal of worry.

Nick was glad he'd left their youngest three at home. Luckily, Mrs. Bradley was free next door and offered to watch over the three Stokeses while their parents went to the hospital. They were already fast asleep and unaware what was going on, but the parents felt guilty leaving them in the night like they had done.

"Momma, I'm sorry." Nick heard Mally whisper several times as she cried into her mother's shoulder. Sara finally sat down on the stool next to her bed and continued to stroke Mally's hair and face, being careful not to touch the tender spots. Mally's face showed relief, but was still laced in pain. Her eyes shifted up to Nick, who stood with his hands in his pockets. He wasn't quite as emotional as his wife, though he was just as concerned. His feelings seemed all mixed up inside at the moment. She was okay. She's okay. But none of this ever should have happened.

"Daddy…" Mally called out to her father, and that was it for the father. Nick walked to the other side of the bed and planted a single kiss on his daughter's forehead, and then stroked some hair back from the same spot, and allowed a relieved smile.

"I'm so glad you're okay, sweetheart." Nick shed a few tears, as he was finally able to touch his daughter again. He had been so afraid he'd lost her when the hospital called. The father of four never wanted a phone call like that again, because it had scared the crap out of him. As he looked down at her hopeful and comfort-needing face, Nick couldn't be mad at her this moment. The talking would come later, but right now, Mally needed his strength.

"I'm sorry, daddy." She sobbed again.

"Sssshhhh. I know you are sweetheart. You just relax, okay? The doctors are gonna make you all better, and we're here now. You just go to sleep, baby." Nick whispered to his daughter.

No matter how old she seemed to get, Mally still needed her parents every once in a while. It scared her how easily she'd agreed to drive across the desert to see Jason. How could her judgment be so bad? What must her parents think of her? She knew they were just thrilled right now to see her alive, but the questions would come. They knew she'd deceived them.

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Sara carefully looked on to Mally's hospital bed as she and Nick talked to her doctor. Mari and Bailey were currently jungle gyming around Mally's bed, climbing underneath and on top. Aidan sat in one of the nearby chairs playing his GameBoy, trying to ignore his sisters. Sara wished that Bailey would set a better example for her little sister, but alas, she was getting stir-crazy. When the bed moved slightly from their antics, Sara spoke up.

"Girls, you need to sit quietly and wait for daddy and I. We're talking to the doctor, and we need you to be very good right now." Sara told them from the doorway. Nick glanced in at his children, seeing they were getting bored, but continued to talk to the doctor.

"But momma, I'm so bored!" Bailey complained. Mally was currently in high spirits, but couldn't really chase after her sisters right now to help out. Her parents had been talking with the doctor for about fifteen minutes now.

"Well, sometimes life is boring, but you just have to deal with. Your daddy and I are having a very important conversation with Mally's doctor, so you need to sit still."

"How much longer?" She moaned with too much attitude, and stomped her foot. Nick witnessed her mini-fit from the corner of his eye. Sometimes he wished Sara would be firmer with the kids. She seemed to take too much of their nonsense at times, but he wouldn't.

"Excuse me, sir." Nick stopped the doctor and stepped into Mally's hospital room. "Bailey, sit down in that chair right now like your mother asked you to." He pointed firmly to the chair, and his face was no-nonsense. Bailey immediately obeyed, her face looking sullen. She gave her father a scowl, not willing to go down without a little attitude.

"You will sit there quietly until your mother and I are finished. Understood?"

"Yes, SIR." She said disrespectfully, crossing her arms. Her father just glared at her a few moments and didn't say anything, which wasn't a good sign.

"Bailey Catherine, you better lose the attitude real quick, or you will not be happy for what's in store when you get home."

Bailey stared at the floor and didn't say anything else. She couldn't believe that her parents expected her to sit still for so long. They knew she had trouble being still, so why were they being so mean to her?

Nick and Sara turned their attention back to the doctor and continued their conversation. Aidan sat on the floor with Mari and decided to teach her paper, rock, scissors. The little girl delighted in the new game and Bailey watched in disgust and boredom. Mally tried to rest the best she could with her three younger siblings in the room and her parents talking at the door.

"She will need to go through a fair amount of physical therapy with her leg." The doctor informed the parents. "Mally broke her right tibia and fibula in her lower leg, and she'll need to wear a removable ski-boot type cast after her initial one comes off and use crutches."

"When can she be active again?" Nick asked, knowing that Mally still loved to play softball and other sports, as well as going to her college classes. He could already see that Mally was getting depressed at the thought of being couch-ridden for the next few weeks, and possibly, months.

"She'll probably need to wait for about six weeks to walk with crutches, but I'd probably want her to wait a couple months after that before getting her back into active sports. She mentioned she plays softball and walks a lot at college, but we'll just have to see how her physical therapy progresses."

The doctors had put a rod in Mally's leg to keep it straight and together, and they'd already talked at length about the physical therapy that would be needed. Sara and Nick knew from talking to others how painful that could be, and also expensive. They'd already been having financial worries before all this happened, and their expenses had quickly become a nightmare. But they just kept reminding themselves that Mally's health was the most important thing right now. Whatever it took, Mally would make a complete recovery.

There was a crash in the hospital room suddenly, and the parents' heads snapped around to see what had happened. Mally had been startled awake at the noise, and was looking stressed and fed-up with her siblings right now. When they looked, Bailey and Mari had gone back to their playing around Mally's bed, and Aidan looked like he had tried to stop them. Nick and Sara had had enough, and thankfully they were finished with their questions.

"Daddy, I tried to stop them, but…" Aidan started.

"It's okay, Aidan." Nick told his son, excusing himself again from the doctor. Sara wrapped things up with the doctor while Nick tried his best to deal with the kids without going nuts. Bailey and Mari looked guilty, as they had knocked over some probably very expensive medical equipment to the floor.

Nick gripped Bailey's upper arm firmly, pulling her to her feet.

"Bailey, go sit in the hallway right now, and I'll be dealing with you later." He instructed her shortly, leading her to the door and to a spot on the floor, far from possible distractions. Mari was crying back inside the room because she knew she was in trouble, and didn't like it one bit. Her father picked her up under the armpits and set her on one of the chairs.

"And you will be having a time-out, Mari, for five minutes." Nick said as calmly as possible. He didn't ever want to scare his children, but his two girls needed some consequences right now. "You stay here in this chair until I tell you to get up. Do you understand?"

Mari nodded her head tearfully, upset that she was in trouble. Nick never liked having to give her a time-out, but he was happy that she actually seemed upset about it. When Bailey was her age, she would throw an even bigger fit and throw more attitude his way. Nick turned back to his son, who was sitting on one of the other chairs on the opposite side of the room. He was the only one of his younger children who seemed to be consistently well-behaved. As he watched Aidan for a few minutes, Nick couldn't help but notice he was looking down. Just as when he was a toddler, Nick often worried that he was overlooked because of his personality. The girls were getting all the attention because of their misbehaviors, and Aidan didn't seem to get as much because he was well-behaved. Nick didn't want him feeling left out or that he had to act up to get attention in this household.

"Aidan, bud, why don't you go down to the vending machine and get yourself a Coke?" Nick suggested, reaching into his back pocket and retrieving his wallet.

"Huh?" He looked confused.

"You've been good all morning, bud, so I think you should be rewarded." He handed his son a dollar bill. Aidan looked at it a few moments, and then up at his dad, who looked totally serious. The seven year old took it slowly, still eying his dad a little.

"Thanks, dad." Aidan got up and hugged Nick, glad that he was finally being acknowledged. His sisters' antics had been driving him nuts all morning, and he had been about ready to either snap or start crying. It was as if his dad sensed it and knew exactly what to do. Aidan smiled widely and clenched his dollar bill as he walked down the hall.

"What was that?" Sara asked her husband, standing next to where he was sitting. Nick looked up to meet Sara's confused brown eyes.

"What? Aidan? I just sent him down for a Coke."

"I thought you were against rewarding him for good behavior. You went into a whole hissy fit with Miss Lorden about it, but now you're handing out dollar bills for behaving like he's supposed to?"

Nick looked over at Mally and Mari, who didn't seem to be paying any attention to the conversation, so he continued.

"Sar, it was just this one time. The girls' behavior has been abysmal, especially Bailey, so yeah, I let him have a Coke."

"Nick, you're missing the point." Sara scrunched her face a little, gesturing with her hands upset, "You were against the whole concept of rewarding them for good behavior. You can't just do it one day and not the next. The kids need consistency."

The day so far had been a trying one, with hard-to-swallow news about Mally, the threat of huge doctor bills, the girls' behavior, and now this disagreement. Stress was high between the two parents, so the conversation took a turn where it shouldn't have gone. At least not in a heated moment in a hospital near their injured daughter and toddler.

"Consistency?" Nick whispered in an irritated tone. "You want to talk about consistency? You're letting Bailey manipulate you, Sara. You bargain with her about her behavior, don't you see that? You're always pleading with her to stop. I'm the one who always has to punish them, and I look like the bad guy!"

"Nick, keep your voice down." She shushed him angrily. Mally had heard enough.

"Would you two quit arguing?" She sat up, an irritated glare to her normally beautiful face. "I'm trying to rest. Go have this conversation in your bedroom at home, would you?"

Their oldest daughter snapped them back to reality. This was not the place or circumstance to be arguing about the raising of their children. The two parents looked at each other questioningly for a few moments and then decided to shrug the argument off for the time being.

"I'll go take care of Bailey, will you talk to Mari?" Nick requested as Aidan walked back into the room, sipping a can of Coke.

"Of course, Nick." She said, a little sass in her voice.

Mally rolled her eyes at her parents. Sometimes they were clueless. They were both good parents, she figured out, but had majorly different styles. Sure, Sara was loosy-goosy, but they all loved her and did what she said most of the time. Her father was old-fashioned and no-nonsense, but very affectionate and loving. They all knew not to try anything around him, but couldn't think of a more approachable, caring, doting dad.

Mally watched as Sara lovingly dried Mari's tears and kissed her a few times on the face, murmuring comforting words to her that she couldn't make out. Mari was as good as gold a few moments later, and holding on to her mom, perched on her hip. Aidan walked over to his mother and she put her free arm around him and stroked his hair. The trio came to stand at Mally's bedside.

"Well, kiddos, I think your big sister needs her rest, and we've been driving her mad all morning, I'm sure. So we need to say goodbye and get back home."

"But what about Mawwy?" Mari inquired, ever concerned about her biggest sister.

"Mally needs to stay at the hospital a little longer so the doctors can make her better." Sara explained patiently, watching the toddlers face for reaction.

"But who stay here?" She was getting upset.

"We'll come see her tomorrow, baby. Mally will be okay here. She's a big girl."

"Don't worry, Mari, I'll be okay." Mally assured her, reaching her arms out to her baby sister. Sara let Mari lunge forward a little and lean down for a hug, being careful not to put the toddler's full weight on Mally. "Oh thank you for the hug. That makes me feel so much better."

Sara could tell Mally was being patient and caring, but she was really exhausted and needed her rest. She pried her daughter away, and she buried her face in Sara's neck. Aidan leaned over and hugged his sister carefully.

"I hope you can come home soon, Mally. I miss you."

Sara saw Mally's face twinge with emotion, and she was about to cry. She'd always had a special place for her little brother. He reminded her a lot of herself when she was younger. She wasn't quite so timid, but their hearts were much the same.

"I'll be home as soon as I can, Aid. Hang tight, and I love you. I'm always thinking about you." She sniffled. Mally wiped her eyes as he pulled away. Nick came in holding Bailey's hand, who still looked tearful. Mally felt sorry for her little sister, as she would most likely be in more trouble once they got home.

"Go say goodbye to your sister." Nick whispered, and shook Bailey's hand gently. Bailey walked quietly to her sister and gave her a brief, but heartfelt hug. She looked up to her big sister so much, but still didn't know why she'd gotten into this accident. Her mom wouldn't tell her where the accident was, or why they hadn't been allowed to see her until today.

"I love you, Bailey. See you soon."

Bailey smiled slightly and then went back to Nick. Sara and Nick said their goodbyes for the day. Somehow, they didn't think they'd be able to stay away from her until tomorrow when she was in this state. Nick especially couldn't bear to think of his daughter hurt and alone in a cold hospital room. It didn't seem right, but they had three young children to care for. After being on the verge of tears leaving the room, Nick decided he'd find a way to get back here for the night, not caring if he couldn't be at the top of his game for work tomorrow. Mally needed them.

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Aidan was watching television with his baby sister for the time being, so Nick and Sara thought it a good time to go talk to Bailey again. Since all the hassle of Mally's accident, they hadn't gotten to go to the doctor like they'd planned to discuss her medication. It was clear she needed something after her behavior today. They knew she wasn't an inherently bad kid. She made a lot of bad choices out of sheer boredom and stir craziness, it seemed. Bailey had been sent to her room when they got home, which she vocally opposed.

"Bailey, may we come in?" Sara asked as they cracked the door open. Bailey was sitting on her plastic hopper ball, still bouncing away when they entered. It was the only way she felt she could make her body feel better when she was cooped up in this little room. "Your dad and I need to talk to you. Can you sit still on that thing?"

Bailey stopped bouncing and nodded her head. She didn't like to misbehave, but she would get so mad at adults when they made her sit still or stay in her room. Their bodies didn't go crazy, but hers sure did.

"Sweetheart, why did we send you to your room when we got home?" Nick started after they'd settled on her bed. Bailey sat before them on her hopper ball, trying her hardest not to move.

"Because I was really bad at the hospital." She said, not making eye contact.

"And why did you misbehave at the hospital?" Sara asked her daughter.

"I was bored."

"I realize that, but is that an excuse to misbehave?" She reminded Bailey. They constantly talked to her about not making excuses for her bad choices. Bailey needed to learn to be accountable for her actions, but it had been a rough process.

"No."

"Bailey, what I don't understand is why you got up out of that seat after I specifically told you to stay there." Nick told the seven year old. "You disobeyed me, and got Mari into trouble. Why did you do that?"

"It's coz of my ADHD." Bailey threw the label out there. She'd heard her parents talk about it, and was going to use it to her advantage. ADHD must be the fancy name for that monster that lived inside her.

"Bailey, you're making excuses again." Nick told her, and Bailey knitted her eyebrows in frustration. "Your body may be making things hard for you right now, but you have control of your behavior. Today, you made the choice to misbehave at the hospital, and that's why you're in trouble."

"You said you'd get me help!" Bailey accused the loudly, staring at both her parents.

"We _will_ get you help, but Mally's accident side tracked us a little. Tomorrow, we will go see your doctor." Sara explained.

"You like Mally better." Bailey whispered hatefully, staring at the floor. Deep down, she knew this wasn't true, but she would try anything at that moment to get back at them. They just didn't understand.

"Bailey Catherine Stokes, that isn't true and you know it." Nick said a little more forcefully than he intended. He loved all his children insanely and equally, and could never think about choosing between them. Right now, Mally was all alone at the hospital, and they were here trying to keep a handle on their already mouthy seven year old. "We love all four of you the same. With all our hearts, and we are trying to help you understand because we love you."

Nick let his words sink in for a few moments and could tell he'd struck a chord with his stubborn daughter. God love the little stinker. She was a courageous little one who spoke her mind, he had to admit.

"Mom and I are going to go downstairs now. You can come out when you can speak nicely to us and your brother and sister. Does that sound fair?"

Bailey nodded and started bouncing on her ball again.

As soon as they'd closed the door, the parents let out a deep sigh of frustration, but they'd made a bit of progress.

"Whoever said raising girls was easier needs to have his mental health checked." Nick sighed, running his hand over his face tiredly.

"You did just fine." Sara told him, then cupped his face and gave him an exhausted kiss. She was about to go downstairs when Nick caught her wrist.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry if I snapped at you today." He said, heartfelt. "You're a wonderful mother. You really are. We're just very different in how we deal with things."

"Nick, I know I'm a softy." She sighed, a knowing expression on her tired face. "But you're a hard-ass. You need someone to balance you out." Sara smiled and kissed him a little more thoroughly this time.

"Maybe we should talk about this later, when we're not so tired and stressed out." Nick suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." Nick kissed her head and they walked hand in hand down the stairs, their minds all over the place, but undeniably on no other than Mally, Aidan, Bailey, and Mari.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the delay! Again, people seem to be commenting that I'm neglecting Aidan, which is a little true I guess. Hopefully, you think there's more of him in this chapter, and I do plan on doing a one-shot for him in "Full House". I love Aidan, and glad you seem to like him too. This chapter is extra fluffy, so do watch out. Please review!

"Alright, guys." Nick addressed his family later that night after dinner. "I'm going back to the hospital to stay with Mally tonight, so you need to be good for mom."

"Daddy go?" Mari asked from her position on Sara's lap. They were trying to wind down the kids before bedtime, so they'd all just been cuddling and talking on the couch. Bailey had been sent back up to her room after dinner, and Nick had just said goodbye to her.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning." He patiently explained, kneeling down to meet her eye level. She reached her pudgy arms out for a hug, and Nick gladly took her into his arms. "Mommy's gonna read you a bedtime story, and when you wake up, I'll be back."

"I miss daddy." She said sadly. Nick tightened his hold on the toddler and kissed her forehead. He tried to remind himself that she would have Sara when he left, and Mally needed him right now. After another kiss, he handed Mari back to his wife.

Nick hadn't noticed that Aidan was softly crying on the other side of the couch, but his wife's eyes cued him in. Aidan didn't like to cry, because he tried to be tough for his sisters, but he was still only seven years old. Nick kneeled down next to where his son was sitting.

"Hey, bud. What's up?" He asked gently, rubbing his shoulder and arm as he watched Aidan's face. The little boy took a few moments to compose himself, and he sat up, sitting pretzel style on the couch, wiping at his eyes.

"I don't want you to go!" His voice was emotional, and Nick could tell this was really bothering him. He was a sensitive kid, but seemed to keep a lot of it inside, and rarely broke down.

"Aid, I need to go stay with Mally, because she's all alone. Do you understand?" Nick's voice was low and soft, and his heart broke whenever any of his children were upset. It was like he was having to pick between his children right now, and he didn't like it one bit.

"But I don't want you to leave!" He cried again, choking on his tears. Nick glanced at Sara, who looked sympathetic, but didn't know what to do either. Mari watched the scene curiously, her head resting on her mother's chest.

"I know."

As a last resort, Aidan leaned forward and flung his arms around his father, a fresh series of tears escaping his body. Nick held him tight, standing up, and then sitting again on the couch with his son on his lap. The concerned father just held his son close and rubbed his back as he cried. Nick had no idea where this had come from. Aidan seemed fine before, and was dealing with Mally's accident like a trooper. Maybe it got to be too much, and he just snapped.

When his crying was subsiding, Nick decided to make an offer.

"Would you like to come with me for a while to see Mally?" He asked his son, who was calming down. The little boy quickly shook his head yes, but didn't look at his father. He stared down at his clammy, nervous hands. Nick kissed his forehead in acceptance. "Okay. Why don't you go get your shoes on then, bud."

When Aidan disappeared to get his shoes, Nick turned back to Sara.

"I'll let him stay for a couple hours and talk to him a bit." Nick told her. "And I'll bring him back about ten?"

"That's fine." Sara practically whispered, as Mari was starting to drift off to sleep. "I didn't know he was so upset."

"Me neither." Nick admitted, rubbing his face.

"Just take care of my babies."

Nick allowed a small smile, and scooted next to his wife. Mari seemed to be asleep now, so he gently cupped Sara's face and kissed her tenderly. After a few sweet kisses, he pulled back and they looked down at their youngest. Nick stroked the sleeping toddler's chubby face, and her arm was slowly loosening her grip on her mother's shirt. Her breathing shallowed and her body was limp now. There would at least be no fighting with her tonight over bedtime. Bailey may be a different story.

"I'm going to put her down." Sara told him, and gave him one last kiss. She stood up carefully, cradling Mari in her arms, and proceeded up the stairs. Aidan emerged from the next room with his shoes on, ready to go. His face was still a little reddened from his crying, but he looked decidedly happier.

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, let's go." Nick slung his arm around Aidan's shoulders as they proceeded into the garage.

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Mally couldn't describe how relieved and comforted she felt when she saw her father and brother walk back into her hospital room. She thought she was over the stage of her life when she felt she literally needed her dad to feel okay, but she did. The accident had been frightening, and Mally felt she'd regressed back to the age of ten, the loneliness she felt without her family. The twenty year old felt tears pooling in her eyes at their smiling faces.

"I'm so happy to see you." She confessed, taking tearful breaths. Nick didn't know how much more emotion he could take. It seemed everyone had been crying for weeks over something or other. He planted a kiss on his daughter and pulled up a chair to her hospital bed, but Aidan remained standing. The concerned brother stood on the other side and immediately took Mally's hand. He had been upset earlier when he had to leave her. Nick guessed that was part of the reason he broke down at home.

Nick watched his son curiously as he squeezed his sister's hand and leaned over to hug her. He was a lot like Mally when she was little personality-wise.

"How's your pain medication doing?" Nick asked, his hand moving to gently lay on her arm in support.

"It's working." She reported and moved her arm a bit to show the clicker on her finger that delivered morphine to her body. "This clicker is my new best friend. Besides Aidan."

Aidan smiled, and though Nick wasn't sure if he should, moved to lay on the bed next to Mally. It wasn't a big bed, but Mally seemed content to have her brother snuggled in tightly next to her, putting her arm around him. Nick rubbed his back as he settled in. For the first time, Nick thought about what a good mother Mally would be someday.

Mally looked over to her father.

"How are the girls doing?" She asked, seeing that her little brother perhaps wasn't taking this well. Mally was only expecting her father, but was thrilled to see her brother tagging along. She knew Nick wouldn't let Aidan come along normally, since it was already 8:30.

The motion Nick's head and eyes made told Mally what she needed to know.

"Bailey was still pouting in her room when I left, and Mari's already asleep." Nick reported.

"Those monkeys." Mally commented, smiling. Having three young siblings was hard, but rewarding for her parents, but also for Mally. Since she was so much older than them, she'd participated a lot in the raising of them. She left the hard stuff to her parents, but Mally was helpful beyond words to Nick and Sara.

"We're going to see a doctor tomorrow for Bails."

"That's good." Mally nodded, knowing her sister was different than she and her siblings were. She was an elementary education major and, to Nick and Sara's dismay, a modern dance minor. In her education classes, Mally had learned a bit about behavioral disorders, and Bailey seemed to be the definition of ADHD.

"So." Nick was curious to know about the next subject, but weary about asking. "Does your boyfriend know what happened?"

Mally looked away and sighed, knowing that her dad wasn't fond of Jason, and this wasn't going to help her case.

"No. My cell phone was ruined in the crash."

She wanted to leave it at that, but Nick probed further.

"Does he have our home number?"

"Yes."

Nick took in a sharp breath and let it out slowly. Mally could tell he wasn't pleased with the situation.

"So, he hasn't called to see if you got home okay?" Mally didn't like the form her dad's face was taking. It wasn't angry with her, per se, but it involved her decisions. Now he really wouldn't like Jason.

"Dad, there's no reason for him to think anything's wrong." She tried to explain it away. But truthfully, he'd been calling her constantly, but on her cell phone. He probably thought she was ignoring her or something, but he hadn't bothered to call her house. Probably because he was afraid of Nick.

"Yeah, that's why it's called an accident. Mal, any person who cares about you would be calling to make sure you got home okay. I really don't think this Jason kid is good news." He hoped he wasn't over stepping his bounds. In the end, it was Mally's decision who she dated, and he could only tell her how he felt. Nick couldn't order her to stop seeing him.

"Dad, let's just…not talk about it." Mally put an end to the discussion, and chose to concentrate on her little brother. "What did you have for dinner, Aid?"

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Sara was surprised to walk into her daughters' room with Mari in her arms, to find Bailey quietly reading on her bed. The girl wasn't known to be a big reader. She didn't have the patience for it, so Sara was curious.

Quietly, Sara laid Mari down on her tiny toddler bed. They always changed her into her pajamas after a bath, so she was all set for bed. The mother tucker her daughter in and kissed her cheek. Sara crept across the room to sit on Bailey's bed, whose eyes were still glued to her book.

"What are you reading?" She whispered, reaching out to pat Bailey's knee. Sara often worried that since Bailey got in trouble so often, she would think they didn't like her. She jumped at any chance to be tender with the first grader.

"A stupid Ladybug book." She reported. Sara knew what she meant – it was the Little Book Series that was a favorite when teaching children to read. Aidan had long since mastered this level of books, but Bailey didn't practice reading as much, so she wasn't as advanced as her brother. She'd rather play outside with her friends that cuddle up with a book. But to Aidan, books were some of his best friends.

"The Ugly Duckling." Sara read when she moved the book a little to see the title. "That's a good book."

Bailey's confidence was dangerously low when it came to schoolwork, Sara knew, but she didn't often show it. She had a tough exterior that rivaled some adults, but inside was a scared little girl. Bailey was a smart kid, and knew she was behind some of her classmates when it came to reading, and grades in general. Her marks mostly included 'satisfactory', simply because she wasn't patient enough to really concentrate and tackle the work. In contrast, Aidan got mostly 'outstanding' marks, which further frustrated Bailey. She often wondered how things came so easily to her brother, and things were so hard for her.

"Momma, why can't I read as good as Aidan?" She asked her mother, straight up. Sara decided to move to sit next to her daughter, and Bailey scooted over to make room. She liked when her mother or father would just come talk to her. It was reassuring to have quiet, non-threatening moments with them, and they were good at making her feel better.

"Bailey, you are just as smart as your brother and sisters. A lot of being good at reading is the practice." Bailey was listening closely to every word her mother was saying.

"Well, you like to play outside with your friends a lot, right?"

"Uh huh."

"Aidan is perfectly happy staying indoors reading a book instead. So, he gets more practice because that's what he likes to do. So, Aidan may be a better reader right now just because he practices more."

Bailey's face showed deep contemplation, and Sara wondered what she was thinking.

"But think about basketball." Sara started. "You practice basketball a lot more than Aidan, so you're a little more skilled at that than him. So it kind of evens out."

Aidan loved basketball also, but didn't yet possess the physical skills yet, like many little kids. Bailey truthfully was a bit better at the sport than her brother, but Sara hoped she wouldn't go tell him that now.

"So, Aidan's good at some things, and I'm good at others?"

"Yes. Everyone has different things they're good at. Like your dad and I are good at solving crimes, and Mally is good at dancing and softball."

"What about Mari?"

"Well, she's two. She can't do much yet. But she'll be good at something when she gets old enough."

"She's kinda funny." Bailey smiled, thinking of Mari. She was often jealous of her younger sister, because she needed constant attention and couldn't do much for herself.

"She is a silly girl." Sara giggled a little, tucking a piece of her daughter's hair behind her ear. "Do you want to read the book together?"

"Yeah!" Bailey replied, more excitedly than she ever had before about the prospect of reading.

Sara and Bailey proceeded to read the book page by page. Sara would read one page, and Bailey the next. She marveled in the way her daughter was good at intonation and emotion. When Bailey did concentrate on reading, she was really good at it, and Sara couldn't wait to see what medication did for her schoolwork.

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Aidan had since fallen asleep on his sister's hospital bed, and Nick didn't have the heart to wake him up to leave. He called his wife and told her that he'd just let Aidan stay over tonight with him and Mally. His daughter didn't seem to be bothered at all at sharing her bed at the moment at least, but Nick hunted down an extra mattress, pillow, and blanket from the nurses to move him if needed. For now, Nick settled on to the mattress and tried to sleep.

"Daddy?" Nick recognized the sound as his oldest daughter's voice. He immediately got up and went to her bedside, trying to make out her face in the dark room.

"What is it, sweetheart? Are you in pain?" He took her hand and squeezed it gently, as he heard Mally tear up a little bit.

"No. It's just…I'm sorry, dad. I really am." She sobbed, putting her other hand over her eyes.

"Hey," Nick cooed, "Don't cry, Mally. You're okay."

"I was so stupid."

"I'm sure it was scary. But it's over now, and we're here for you." He tried to reassure her, stroking the back of her hand.

"I know you're disappointed in me." That was what worried Mally the most, after the pain and her recovery. Though she was a young adult, her parents' trust was still something that was very important to her.

Nick swallowed at her words. He was somewhat disappointed in her, that she lied to them about going to California, and tried to drive back so late at night. He could also see how disappointed she was in herself, and right now they needed to concentrate on getting her well again, not giving her a talking-to.

"Well, Mally, I was really surprised when I found out where you'd been, but I'm just glad you're okay. We'll talk about it when you're better. Right now you just need to relax and concentrate on your health."

"Are you mad?"

"No, Mally." He told her immediately. Nick was really just mad at Jason, because he was probably the one that pressured his daughter into doing this. "I'm not mad at you, just concerned. You go back to sleep, okay?"

Nick stroked his daughter's unkempt hair lovingly. In the dark, she looked so confused, and he remember just how confusing young love could be. He himself had fallen for a woman when he was not much older than Mally, and it had turned out disastrously. Well, all except the beautiful girl, quickly becoming a woman, who he gazed down at now. He didn't want Mally to make the same mistakes he did.

"I love you, dad." She whispered.

"I love you too, Mal."

Nick stayed with his daughter, holding her hand, until she fell back asleep, just listening to the reassuring sound of her breathing. The rise and fall of her chest reminded him that she was okay; she was alive after that huge scare. And it steeled his resolve that he was going to lead her out of this mess. He needed to get her away from this Jason punk, even if Mally hated him for it. Nick was going to protect his precious family.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Nick and Sara took Bailey to the doctor like they had promised. They were currently sitting in the examination room, waiting for him to come in. Before coming, a questionnaire was sent out to her teacher about her behavior during class, and Nick and Sara both filled one out about her behavior at home.

Nick and Sara suspected that Bailey thought the medication she would be given would be some magic pill that would stop her from being bad at all. She'd talked at length about the monster in her body that made her do bad things, and constantly used ADHD as an excuse for her bad behavior. They hoped the meeting with the doctor would quickly put away any misconceptions about what her medication would do.

Bailey sat between her parents, swinging her feet in a steady rhythm, unable to sit still as usual. She was so excited to finally get to see the doctor, to have him fix whatever was wrong with her inside.

The doctor came in moments later, with a stack of paperwork in his hands.

"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Stokes. Bailey." He greeted them. Bailey immediately sat up and stopped swinging her feet. Funny how she was perfectly well-behaved for certain people.

Nick shook the doctor's hand as he sat down in his standard swivel chair that Bailey loved to play around on.

"Before we begin, I'd just like to check to ask some questions about Bailey's recent behavior. You sent in your questionnaires, I see. Any changes?" He asked, flipping through the documents.

Bailey looked up at her parents questioningly. She didn't know what they'd written about her – probably that she was an awful kid most of the time. Nick and Sara exchanged looks.

"No, it's been consistent with what we answered in the questionnaire." Nick answered for both of them. That would be, she has a short attention span, is easily distracted, has trouble sitting still for extended amounts of time, and loses and forgets things easily.

"Alright." The doctor began. "Well, the results that were produced from your questionnaires and the teacher's were consistent with a child who has ADHD, so I think it would be in the best interest of Bailey to try some medication out, and see how that effects her quality of life." He informed them, scribbling down some notes on a piece of paper.

"Bailey," He turned to her, and she immediately perked up again and acted attentive. "The trouble you've been having concentrating, sitting still, and forgetting things easily – those are all things that can be helped by this mediation I'm going to give you. It's called Ritalin. But I also need to talk to you about what it won't fix." He told her, looking serious.

On the phone, Sara had talked to him about how Bailey thought this would fix everything, almost to the point of having no free will.

"You know people who where glasses?" He started, looking right at Bailey, who stared straight back at him. "Well, the glasses help only a certain part of your body, right? What part do they help?"

"Your eyes. They help you see better." She answered softly.

"That's right. So, your medication will help you control some of your behaviors, but that doesn't mean you're not still in control of your own behavior. You'll still need to make good decisions about what you choose to do. Like, if your parents tell you to go do your homework, you can still choose to do it or not. The Ritalin is not going to automatically make you do the right thing." He tried to explain, hoping it made sense. "Do you understand, Bailey?"

"Yes, sir." She answered politely, giving her head a nod. Nick smiled and gently stroked the back of her head in support. They all hoped that this medication would work, and a normal, well-behaved little girl would emerge – the one they had always known was there.

"Good. I'm going to start Bailey on a dosage of 15 milligrams of Ritalin, and that will need to be taken every 4-5 hours." He scribbled the medication on his prescription paper. "The medication works within fifteen minutes, so if she takes it right when she gets up, that will be plenty of time to work before she gets to school. Another dosage before lunch generally works well, and then late afternoon again."

He ripped the slip off and handed it to Sara.

"We'll do a follow-up visit in about a month. Do you have any questions for me?" He looked between Nick and Sara.

"Any side effects to look for?" Sara asked immediately.

"You may notice a slight loss of appetite or mild sleep disturbance, but all side effects are generally minimal." The doctor explained. "Ritalin's known to be a very safe, dependable medication. But do call me if you notice anything too severe."

Nick and Sara both thanked the doctor and proceeded to the front desk to check out. As Nick was signing some of the papers, Bailey wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing tight. Nick smiled and rubbed her back with his free hand.

"Daddy, I'm going to be really good from now on." She promised him, still squeezing him tight. Nick could hear the sincerity in her voice, and knew she would try to do just that. They were all willing to give this a try, and hoped they were finally finding the answers to help Bailey.

"I know you'll try your best, baby girl." Nick told her, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "Momma and I will be there to help you."

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A few days later, Mally was finally ready to come home. She had a cast on her right leg, and needed crutches to get around, but there was nothing like being home to make you feel better. Nick had gone to pick her up from the hospital, leaving Sara home with the younger three children.

They pulled up to their home, and to Mally it felt like it had been months since she'd been there. She took a deep breath of relief as her father put the Denali in park.

"Wait there, darlin'." He told her, quickly getting out of the driver's side. Mally rolled her eyes. She could tell that her father was going to be extra protective of her for a while. He wouldn't be letting her do hardly anything for herself, still concerned about her well-being. It wasn't like him to baby her. He was always the type of parent to urge her to do things for herself, but seeing her in this state broke his heart. What would happen when she had to go back to college in a few days?

Mally undid her seatbelt as her father opened her door. He helped her swing her legs over and she slowly edged her body out until her good leg touched the ground. Nick grabbed her crutches from the back seat, holding her steady with his other arm. When she was set, he stayed inches away, holding his hand close by in case she were to stumble.

"That's right, just take it easy." He told her, matching her step for step as they made their way up to the front porch.

"Dad, I _am_ capable of walking by myself. I'm not going to break." She told him, smiling.

"I'm just taking precautions." He gave her a look, but he was in a light mood. Nick knew she was a sensible girl when it came to her medical care. He could tell she wanted to get up and be active as soon as she possibly could, but that she needed to wait for everything to heal. Nick hated, though, that he was starting to question her judgment in his mind. He thought she was sensible enough not to drive hundreds of miles on a whim to visit her boyfriend; he thought she knew better than to get behind the wheel when she was tired; and he thought they had an honest relationship. It hurt that she'd lied to him, but it hurt even more that she had shown so little self-respect to drive cross country for a guy.

When they entered the house, they were almost bombarded by three little bodies. Aidan and Bailey knew better than to rush up to her and hug her while she was on crutches, but Mari was only two. She ran to her big sister and threw her arms around her casted leg, almost knocking her over.

"Mawwy! Mawwy home!" She yelled excitedly, hugging her leg tightly. Nick reached down and plucked her up, setting her on his hip.

"We have to be careful around Mally right now." He explained patiently, kissing her on the cheek several times. "Be gentle."

"I be genta daddy." She assured him, watching as Mally carefully made her way over to the couch. He watched as Sara helped her sit down, propping her leg up on the seat, and set her crutches nearby on the floor.

"I know you will, baby." Nick kissed her one more time, and then set her down. Before he even had time to think, Bailey threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Daddy, guess what I did at school today?" She asked him excitedly. Nick smiled down at his daughter, relieved to now be seeing her genuinely happy. Bailey had been on her medication for a few days now, and they were already starting to see drastic improvements. She wasn't so argumentative, and they could actually carry on a conversation with her without her getting distracted. They were in constant communication with her teacher, and she too had noticed drastic changes. Bailey was getting all her work done, and hadn't gotten in trouble at school since she'd started taking Ritalin.

"What did you do, sweetheart?" He asked, bending down to kiss her head.

"Miss Lorden said I was being so good, that she let me be the helper for the day. I got to pass out papers, and be the line leader, and she even let me erase the board!" She reported excitedly. It meant the world to Bailey to be Miss Lorden's special helper, and they all knew only the most well-behaved children in the class got that special privilege. A week ago, Bailey would have never been chosen for this.

"That's great, Bails. I'm proud of you. See what happens when you work hard?" He pointed out.

"It's cause of my medicine." Bailey told him, taking his hand and tugging on it.

"Well, the medicine's helping you, but you're making much better choices." Nick told her. He wanted Bailey to realize that though it was harder to control herself when she didn't have medication, she was still in control of her own actions.

Bailey smiled at him a little and then gently tugged on his hand again so they could join the rest of the family over where Mally was sitting, her leg propped up on the couch. Mari was intrigued by the huge hard white thing on her sister's leg and was currently touching it curiously. She started knocking on it, and even put her ear up to it. Nick smirked a little at his youngest as Aidan came over to sit on his lap.

"Mawwy, what that?" She asked her big sister, her big eyes looking up at her.

"That's my cast." Mally started to explain patiently. "I broke a bone in my leg, and the cast helps the bone heal in the right way."

"Hurt?" She asked her sister, a worried look in her eyes.

"Not anymore." Mally reassured her, reaching out to stroke her little sister's hair. "Hey, do you want to draw on my cast to make it pretty?"

Mari's eyes lit up at the idea. Coloring was a favorite activity, as for any two year old. Sara got out a few markers that she could color with, and decided putting some newspapers underneath was a good idea, in case Mari's hands went wayward. Bailey and Sara also took their turn to sign their names on Mally's cast.

Nick was just watching, holding his only son in his arms. He'd been a bit subdued the last few days, worried about his older sister. Now, Aidan was smiling again, giggling at how his youngest sister seemed to just be scribbling all over Mally's cast. Bailey was all smiles, helping Mari draw a little flower on the cast. He knew that Mari was enjoying this softer, more patient side that Bailey was now showing. And Mally – she was taking the kids climb over her like a trooper, laughing and joking with them like she'd never gone through the horrible ordeal of a car crash. She was safe right now, but Nick knew that in a few days, she'd have to go back to college. And he wouldn't be able to look out for her well-being – Jason would. And the kid did not have a very good track record in Nick's book.

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Later that evening, Nick and Sara had finally gotten the younger three children bathed and into bed, with minimal protesting. Mally was again somewhat stapled to her position on the couch, her parents sitting on the other. Moving was too much of a hassle right now, though she guessed she'd have to get used to it again when she went back to school. She longed to have the cast free and her body healed so she could again go back to the sports she loved and the college partying. Some spring break this was turning out to be. Jason still hadn't called her.

Nick noticed his daughter's downturned face and the way her eyebrows knitted when she was thinking about something upsetting. He'd tried to protect her from things all her life, but the kid had once again found herself in a less than pleasing situation. Nick could tell that in addition to her broken leg, she also had a broken heart. He hoped that this situation would prove to Mally that this Jason kid wasn't good news. What kind of boyfriend sends a tired girl on a long trip at night without even bothering to call to make sure she got home okay? Nick had tried to raise Mally to be confident and have self-respect, but he feared that as soon as Jason called, all would be forgiven and she'd run back into his arms. Mally deserved so much more than that punk, but how could he prove that to his daughter?

Mally set out a huge sigh and rubbed at her eyes, tired of the gameshow that was playing on the television.

"Are you getting tired, Mally?" Nick asked his daughter.

"Yeah." She answered quietly, not taking her eyes off the television screen.

"Well, let me help you up to bed." Nick offered, getting up from his seat and walking over to where Mally lay. The pain in her face was still readily apparent, and he wished he could fix it. He wished he could just erase Jason from her memory and go on. Her life would be so much better without him.

Nick scooped his daughter up in his arms with a bit of a grunt, and Mally put her arms around his neck.

"Goodnight, mom." She told Sara.

"Night, Mal. Sleep well." Sara wished her daughter, snuggling down further in her seat. Nick carefully worked his way through the living room and up the stairs, taking extra care not to knock her leg against anything. It had been years since he'd carried Mally like this, and he realized how much he missed it. His first born held a special place in his heart.

Nick gently placed Mally down on her bed and helped her scoot under the covers. She looked up at him, disappointment in her eyes. Nick sat down on her bed and decided now was as good a time as ever to bring up his feelings.

"Sweetheart, you've seen a little down this evening." Nick said, stroking some hair away from her face. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" He asked gently, hoping that his daughter would still open up to him. They'd always had a close relationship, and she knew her dad would always be there to listen to her problems.

Mally sighed and looked down at her hands.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just disappointed that Jason hasn't called yet." She admitted. In her heart, she knew that Jason had been treating her less than admirably, but her young mind was telling her she still wanted him.

"Yeah. It's tough waiting on a phone call." He acknowledged. Mally could tell he wanted to say more, but was reluctant to pry into part of her life where he wasn't wanted.

"Dad, I know you don't like him." She said first, looking up at him. He didn't protest or dismiss it away, so she knew he agreed. "This doesn't look good, but you haven't met him yet."

Mally saw his jaw tighten, trying not to go into a big long spiel about how she needed to respect herself.

"Mally, what am I supposed to think when the guy who's been dating my daughter allows her to drive by herself very late at night hundreds of miles. I don't like the fact that he convinced you to drive all that way to see him in the first place." He told his daughter honestly.

"Dad, it was my choice to do that. I haven't seen him all week, and he happens to live hundreds of miles away. I know it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but it was my choice." She defended. Nick supposed he should be proud that she'd admitted what she'd done wasn't right, but he wasn't going to let Jason off the hook as easy as that.

"He never should've agreed to let you do that." Nick told her.

"Dad, I hate to break it to you, but I can make my own decisions. I wanted to see him, and I don't need to ask you or ask him for permission to drive to California if that's what I want to do."

"And here you are, a few days later, with a cast on your leg after getting into an accident, wondering why he hasn't called. What kind of guy doesn't call to make sure you're alright?"

Mally was getting really frustrated and Nick could tell. He hoped he was getting through to her.

"It's not like I'm marrying this guy, dad. We're just dating. I wish you wouldn't make such a big deal about it."

"It's a big deal when my little girl gets injured because of the guy she's dating. He's not looking out for your well-being."

"It was an accident!" She raised her voice, sitting up in her bed, glaring at her father. Mally and Nick both took a few deep breaths, realizing that they were both getting upset. Mally started again, in a calmer voice. "Dad, I know you're trying to look out for me, but it's my decision who I want to date, not yours."

Nick stared at her for a few moments, seeing the determination in the eyes of his daughter. She was right. She wasn't a teenager any more, and he couldn't tell her what to do. He couldn't regulate who she was friends with or who she dated. Nick just had to trust that he'd done a good job raising her and instilling enough self-respect for her to realize what a jerk this guy was.

Nick sighed. "I know I can't tell you who to date, Mal. But promise me that you'll really think about the way he's been treating you." He asked her calmly, though he wanted to shake some sense into her right now. "I just want to make sure you're being treated right, because you deserve it. You know that, right?"

"Yes, dad." She said softly. If only he knew how much she'd been thinking about it. She really liked Jason, and really thought that if she helped him change a few things, he would be exactly the man her father hoped for her.

"Okay." Nick leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Get some sleep, sweetheart."

Nick helped her settle back down and shut the light off, closing the door behind him. He hoped his daughter listened to his advice. He feared that her well-being depended on it.


End file.
